As stem cells play a critical role in tissue repair, their manipulation for being applied in regenerative medicine is of great importance. Skin-derivedprecursors (SKPs) may be good candidates for use in cell-based therapy as the only neural stem cells which can be isolated from an accessible tissue, skin. Herein, we presented a simple protocol to enrich neural SKPs by monolayer adherent cultivation to prove the efficacy of this method. To enrich neural SKPs from dermal cell populations, we have found that a monolayer adherent cultivation helps to increase the numbers of neural precursorcells. Indeed, we have cultured dermal cells as monolayer under serum-supplemented (control) and serum-supplemented culture, followed by serum free cultivation (test) and compared. Finally, protein markers of SKPs were assessed and compared in both experimental groups and differentiation potential was evaluated in enriched culture. The cells of enriched culture concurrently expressed fibronectin, vimentin and nestin, an intermediate filament protein expressed in neural and skeletal muscle precursors as compared to control culture. In addition, they possessed a multipotential capacity to differentiate into neurogenic, glial, adipogenic, osteogenic and skeletal myogenic cell lineages. It was concluded that serum-free adherent culture reinforced by growth factors have been shown to be effective on proliferation of skin-derived neural precursorcells (skin-NPCs) and drive their selective and rapid expansion.

The generation of full thickness human skin from dissociated cells is an attractive approach not only for treating skin diseases, but also for treating many systemic disorders. However, it is currently not possible to obtain an unlimited number of skin dermal cells. The goal of this study was to develop a procedure to produce skin dermal stem cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Skin-derivedprecursorcells (SKPs) were isolated as adult dermal precursors that could differentiate into both neural and mesodermal progenies and could reconstitute the dermis. Thus, we attempted to generate SKPs from iPSCs that could reconstitute the skin dermis. Human iPSCs were initially cultured with recombinant noggin and SB431542, an inhibitor of activin/nodal and TGFβ signaling, to induce neural crest progenitor cells. Those cells were then treated with SKP medium that included CHIR99021, a WNT signal activator. The induction efficacy from neural crest progenitor cells to SKPs was more than 97%. No other modifiers tested were able to induce those cells. Those human iPSC-derived SKPs (hiPSC-SKPs) showed a similar gene expression signature to SKPs isolated from human skin dermis. Human iPSC-SKPs differentiated into neural and mesodermal progenies, including adipocytes, skeletogenic cell types and Schwann cells. Moreover, they could be induced to follicular type keratinization when co-cultured with human epidermal keratinocytes. We here provide a new efficient protocol to create human skin dermal stem cells from hiPSCs that could contribute to the treatment of various skin disorders.

Full Text Available "n Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Background: Skin-derivedprecursors (SKPs are a type of progenitor cells extracted from mammalian dermal tissue and can be differentiate to neural and mesodermal lineage in vitro. These cells can introduce an accessible autologos source of neural precursorcells for treatment of different neurodegenerative diseases. This research was done in order to set up isolation, culture, proliferation and differentiation of human skinderivedprecursors (hSKPs."n"nMethods: Human foreskin samples were cut into smaller pieces and cultured in proliferation medium after enzymatic digestion. To induce neural differentiation, cells were cultured in neural differentiation medium after fifth passage. We used immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR for characterization of the cells. Neuron and glial cell differentiation potential was assessed by immunofloresence using specific antibodies. The experiments were carried out in triplicate."n"nResults: After differentiation, βΙΙΙ- tubulin and neurofilament-M positive cells were observed that are specific markers for neurons. Moreover, glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP and S100 positive cells were identified that are markers specifically express in glial cells. Detected neurons and glials were

Skin-derivedprecursors (SKPs) are an attractive stem cell model for cell-based therapies. SKPs can be readily generated from embryonic and adult mice and adult humans, exhibit a high degree of multipotency, and have the potential to serve as a patient autologous stem cell. The advancement of these cells toward therapeutic use depends on the ability to control precisely the self-renewal and differentiation of SKPs. Here we show that two well-known stem cell factors, Foxd3 and Sox2, are critical regulators of the stem cell properties of SKPs. Deletion of Foxd3 completely abolishes the sphere-forming potential of these cells. In the absence of Sox2, SKP spheres can be formed, but with reduced size and frequency. Our results provide entry points into the gene regulatory networks dictating SKP behavior, and pave the way for future studies on a therapeutically relevant stem cell.

Skin-derivedprecursors (SKPs) from mammalian dermis represent neural crest-related stem cells capable of differentiating into both neural and mesodermal progency. SKPs are of clinical interest because they serve as accessible autologous donor cells for neuronal repair for neuronal intractable diseases. However, little is known about the efficient generation of neurons from SKPs, and phenotypes of neurons generated from SKPs have been restricted. In addition, the neuronal repair using their generated neurons as donor cells has not been achieved. The von Hippel-Lindau protein (pVHL) is one of the proteins that play an important role during neuronal differentiation, and recently neuronal differentiation of neural progenitor cells by intracellular delivery of a synthetic VHL peptide derived from elongin BC-binding site has been demonstrated. In the present study, a synthetic VHL peptide derived from elongin BC-binding site was conjugated to the protein transduction domain (PTD) of HIV-TAT protein (TATVHL peptide) to facilitate entry into cells, and we demonstrate the efficient generation of cells with dopaminergic phenotype from SKPs with the intracellular delivery of TATVHL peptide, and characterized the generated cells. The TATVHL peptide-treated SKPs expressed neuronal marker proteins, particularly dopamine neuron markers, and also up-regulated mRNA levels of proneural basic helix-loop-helix factors. After the TATVHL peptide treatment, transplanted SKPs into Parkinson's disease (PD) model rats sufficiently differentiated into dopamine neuron-like cells in PD model rats, and partially but significantly corrected behavior of PD model rats. The generated dopamine neuron-like cells are expected to serve as donor cells for neuronal repair for PD.

Full Text Available Skin-derivedprecursors (SKPs from dermis possess the capacities of self-renewal and multipotency. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that they can differentiate into fibroblasts. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism of the differentiation of SKPs into fibroblasts. Here we compare the transcriptomes of mouse SKPs and SKP-derived fibroblasts (SFBs by RNA-Seq analysis, trying to find differences in gene expression between the two kinds of cells and then elucidate the candidate genes that may play important roles in the differentiation of SKPs into fibroblasts. A total of 1971 differentially expressed genes (DEGs were identified by RNA-Seq, which provided abundant data for further analysis. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis revealed that genes related to cell differentiation, cell proliferation, protein binding, transporter activity and membrane were significantly enriched. The most significantly up-regulated genes Wnt4, Wisp2 and Tsp-1 and down-regulated genes Slitrk1, Klk6, Agtr2, Ivl, Msx1, IL15, Atp6v0d2, Kcne1l and Thbs4 may play important roles in the differentiation of SKPs into fibroblasts. KEGG analysis showed that DEGs were significantly enriched in the TGF-β signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway and Notch signaling pathway, which have been previously proven to regulate the differentiation and self-renewal of various stem cells. These identified DEGs and pathways could facilitate further investigations of the detailed molecular mechanisms, making it possible to take advantage of the potential therapeutic applications of SKPs in skin regeneration in the future.

A major problem in the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus is the limited availability of alternative sources of insulin-producing cells for islet transplantation. In this study, we investigated the effect of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) treatments of gnotobiotic porcine skin-derived stem cells (gSDSCs) on their reprogramming and subsequent differentiation into insulin-producing cells (IPCs). We isolated SDSCs from the ear skin of a gnotobiotic pig. During the proliferation period, the cells expressed stem-cell markers Oct-4, Sox-2, and CD90; nestin expression also increased significantly. The cells could differentiate into IPCs after treatments with activin-A, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and nicotinamide. After 15 days in the differentiation medium, controlled gSDSCs began expressing endocrine progenitor genes and proteins (Ngn3, Neuro-D, PDX-1, NKX2.2, NKX6.1, and insulin). The IPCs showed increased insulin synthesis after glucose stimulation. The results indicate that stem cells derived from the skin of gnotobiotic pigs can differentiate into IPCs under the appropriate conditions in vitro. Our three-stage induction protocol could be applied without genetic modification to source IPCs from stem cells in the skin of patients with diabetes for autologous transplantation.

A major problem in the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus is the limited availability of alternative sources of insulin-producing cells for islet transplantation. In this study, we investigated the effect of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) treatments of gnotobiotic porcine skin-derived stem cells (gSDSCs) on their reprogramming and subsequent differentiation into insulin-producing cells (IPCs). We isolated SDSCs from the ear skin of a gnotobiotic pig. During the proliferation period, the cells expressed stem-cell markers Oct-4, Sox-2, and CD90; nestin expression also increased significantly. The cells could differentiate into IPCs after treatments with activin-A, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and nicotinamide. After 15 days in the differentiation medium, controlled gSDSCs began expressing endocrine progenitor genes and proteins (Ngn3, Neuro-D, PDX-1, NKX2.2, NKX6.1, and insulin). The IPCs showed increased insulin synthesis after glucose stimulation. The results indicate that stem cells derived from the skin of gnotobiotic pigs can differentiate into IPCs under the appropriate conditions in vitro. Our three-stage induction protocol could be applied without genetic modification to source IPCs from stem cells in the skin of patients with diabetes for autologous transplantation.

. In comparison, blood -derived in vitro differentiated Th2 cells only induced a weak response in a few of the mice. Thus, we conclude that human AD skin-derived T cells can induce a reaction in mouse skin through induction of a proliferative response in the mouse keratinocytes. This article is protected......In atopic dermatitis (AD), the inflammatory response between skin infiltrating T cells and keratinocytes is fundamental to the development of chronic lesional eczema. The aim of this study was to investigate whether skin-derived T cells from AD patients could induce an inflammatory response in mice...... through keratinocyte activation and consequently cause development of eczematous lesions. Punch biopsies of lesional skin from AD patients were used to establish skin-derived T cell cultures and which were transferred into NOD.Cg-Prkd(scid) Il2rg(tm1Sug) /JicTac (NOG) mice. We found that subcutaneous...

Full Text Available Dominyka Dapkute,1,2 Simona Steponkiene,1 Danute Bulotiene,1 Liga Saulite,3 Una Riekstina,3 Ricardas Rotomskis1,4 1Biomedical Physics Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Vilnius, Lithuania; 2Institute of Biosciences, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania; 3Faculty of Medicine, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia; 4Biophotonics Group of Laser Research Center, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania Purpose: Cell-mediated delivery of nanoparticles is emerging as a new method of cancer diagnostics and treatment. Due to their inherent regenerative properties, adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs are naturally attracted to wounds and sites of inflammation, as well as tumors. Such characteristics enable MSCs to be used in cellular hitchhiking of nanoparticles. In this study, MSCs extracted from the skin connective tissue were investigated as transporters of semiconductor nanocrystals quantum dots (QDs.Materials and methods: Cytotoxicity of carboxylated CdSe/ZnS QDs was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase cell viability assay. Quantitative uptake of QDs was determined by flow cytometry; their intracellular localization was evaluated by confocal microscopy. In vitro tumor-tropic migration of skin-derived MSCs was verified by Transwell migration assay. For in vivo migration studies of QD-loaded MSCs, human breast tumor-bearing immunodeficient mice were used.Results: QDs were found to be nontoxic to MSCs in concentrations no more than 16 nM. The uptake studies showed a rapid QD endocytosis followed by saturating effects after 6 h of incubation and intracellular localization in the perinuclear region. In vitro migration of MSCs toward MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and their conditioned medium was up to nine times greater than the migration toward noncancerous breast epithelial cells MCF-10A. In vivo, systemically administered QD-labeled MSCs were mainly located in the tumor and metastatic tissues, evading most healthy organs with the

Full Text Available Skin-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs can differentiate into the three embryonic germ layers. For this reason, they are considered a powerful tool for therapeutic cloning and offer new possibilities for tissue therapy. Recent studies showed that skin-derived stem cells can differentiate into cells expressing germ-cell specific markers in vitro and form oocytes in vivo. The idea that SMSCs may be suitable for the treatment of intractable diseases or traumatic tissue damage has attracted attention. To determine the ability of SMSCs to reactivate injured ovaries, a mouse model with ovaries damaged by busulfan and cyclophosphamide was developed and is described here. Female skin-derived mesenchymal stem cells (F-SMSCs and male skin-derived mesenchymal stem cells (M-SMSCs from red fluorescence protein (RFP transgenic adult mice were used to investigate the restorative effects of SMSCs on ovarian function. Significant increases in total body weight and the weight of reproductive organs were observed in the treated animals. Both F-SMSCs and M-SMSCs were shown to be capable of partially restoring fertility in chemotherapy-treated females. Immunostaining with RFP and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH antibodies demonstrated that the grafted SMSCs survived, migrated to the recipient ovaries. After SMSCs were administered to the treated mice, real-time PCR showed that the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, TGF-β, IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, and IFNγ were significantly lower in the ovaries than in the untreated controls. Consistent with this observation, expression of oogenesis marker genes Nobox, Nanos3, and Lhx8 increased in ovaries of SMSCs-treated mice. These findings suggest that SMSCs may play a role within the ovarian follicle microenvironment in restoring the function of damaged ovaries and could be useful in reproductive health.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurologic disorder with significant impacts on quality of life, life expectancy, and economic burden. Although there are no fully restorative treatments yet available, several animal and small-scale clinical studies have highlighted the therapeutic potential of cellular interventions for SCI. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-which are conventionally isolated from the bone marrow-recently emerged as promising candidates for treating SCI and have been shown to provide trophic support, ameliorate inflammatory responses, and reduce cell death following the mechanical trauma. Here we evaluated the human skin as an alternative source of adult MSCs suitable for autologous cell transplantation strategies for SCI. We showed that human skin-derived MSCs (hSD-MSCs) express a range of neural markers under standard culture conditions and are able to survive and respond to neurogenic stimulation in vitro. In addition, using histological analysis and behavioral assessment, we demonstrated as a proof-of-principle that hSD-MSC transplantation reduces the severity of tissue loss and facilitates locomotor recovery in a rat model of SCI. Altogether, the study provides further characterization of skin-derived MSC cultures and indicates that the human skin may represent an attractive source for cell-based therapies for SCI and other neurological disorders. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which hSD-MSCs elicit tissue repair and/or locomotor recovery.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Multipotent stem cells have been successfully isolated from various tissues and are currently utilized for tissue-engineering and cell-based therapies. Among the many sources, skin has recently emerged as an attractive source for multipotent cells because of its abundance. Recent literature showed that skin stromal cells (SSCs possess mesoderm lineage differentiation potential; however, the endothelial differentiation and angiogenic potential of SSC remains elusive. In our study, SSCs were isolated from human neonatal foreskin (hNFSSCs and adult dermal skin (hADSSCs using explants cultures and were compared with bone marrow (hMSC-TERT and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs for their potential differentiation into osteoblasts, adipocytes, and endothelial cells. Results Concordant with previous studies, both MSCs and SSCs showed similar morphology, surface protein expression, and were able to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes. Using an endothelial induction culture system combined with an in vitro matrigel angiogenesis assay, hNFSSCs and hADSSCs exhibited the highest tube-forming capability, which was similar to those formed by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC, with hNFSSCs forming the most tightly packed, longest, and largest diameter tubules among the three cell types. CD146 was highly expressed on hNFSSCs and HUVEC followed by hADSSCs, and hMSC-TERT, while its expression was almost absent on hADMSCs. Similarly, higher vascular density (based on the expression of CD31, CD34, vWF, CD146 and SMA was observed in neonatal skin, followed by adult dermal skin and adipose tissue. Thus, our preliminary data indicated a plausible relationship between vascular densities, and the expression of CD146 on multipotent cells derived from those tissues. Conclusions Our data is the first to demonstrate that human dermal skin stromal cells can be differentiated into endothelial lineage. Hence, SSCs

The discovery of tissue-resident innate lymphoid cell populations effecting different forms of type 1, 2, and 3 immunity; tissue repair; and immune regulation has transformed our understanding of mucosal immunity and allergy. The emerging complexity of these populations along with compounding issues of redundancy and plasticity raise intriguing questions about their precise lineage relationship. Here we review advances in mapping the emergence of these lineages from early lymphoid precursors. We discuss the identification of a common innate lymphoid cellprecursor characterized by transient expression of the transcription factor PLZF, and the lineage relationships of innate lymphoid cells with conventional natural killer cells and lymphoid tissue inducer cells. We also review the rapidly growing understanding of the network of transcription factors that direct the development of these lineages.

Full Text Available Recent reports of directed reprogramming have raised questions about the stability of cell lineages. Here, we have addressed this issue, focusing upon skin-derivedprecursors (SKPs, a dermally derived precursorcell. We show by lineage tracing that murine SKPs from dorsal skin originate from mesenchymal and not neural crest-derived cells. These mesenchymally derived SKPs can, without genetic manipulation, generate functional Schwann cells, a neural crest cell type, and are highly similar at the transcriptional level to Schwann cells isolated from the peripheral nerve. This is not a mouse-specific phenomenon, since human SKPs that are highly similar at the transcriptome level can be made from neural crest-derived facial and mesodermally derived foreskin dermis and the foreskin SKPs can make myelinating Schwann cells. Thus, nonneural crest-derived mesenchymal precursors can differentiate into bona fide peripheral glia in the absence of genetic manipulation, suggesting that developmentally defined lineage boundaries are more flexible than widely thought.

The invention relates to a half-cell shaped precursor body of either anode type or cathode type, the half-cell shaped precursor body being prepared to be free sintered to form a sintered or pre-sintered half-cell being adapted to be stacked in a solid oxide fuel cell stack. The obtained half......-cell has an improved planar shape, which remains planar also after a sintering process and during temperature fluctuations....

The transplantation of hemopoietic cells into adequately pretreated recipients represents one of the most promising approaches in the treatment of immunohematological disorders such as aplastic anemia, immunodeficiency diseases, leukemias and malignant lymphomas. The basic property of the hemopoietic cells permitting such therapeutic procedure, namely, the capacity of hemopoietic precursors to actively proliferate and differentiate in recipients suffering the consequences of various kinds of hemopoietic failure, represents the subject of the present review. The main cell populations addressed in the subsequent sections are the hemopoietic precursorcells. Mature end cells and in particular lymphocytes did not receive as much attention.

Full Text Available Cryopreservation protocols are essential for stem cells storage in order to apply them in the clinic. Here we describe a new standardized cryopreservation protocol for GABAergic neural precursors derived from the medial glanglionic eminence (MGE, a promising source of GABAergic neuronal progenitors for cell therapy against interneuron-related pathologies. We used 10% Me2SO as cryoprotectant and assessed the effects of cell culture amplification and cellular organization, as in toto explants, neurospheres, or individualized cells, on post-thaw cell viability and retrieval. We confirmed that in toto cryopreservation of MGE explants is an optimal preservation system to keep intact the interneuron precursor properties for cell transplantation, together with a high cell viability (>80% and yield (>70%. Post-thaw proliferation and self-renewal of the cryopreserved precursors were tested in vitro. In addition, their migration capacity, acquisition of mature neuronal morphology, and potency to differentiate into multiple interneuron subtypes were also confirmed in vivo after transplantation. The results show that the cryopreserved precursor features remained intact and were similar to those immediately transplanted after their dissection from the MGE. We hope this protocol will facilitate the generation of biobanks to obtain a permanent and reliable source of GABAergic precursors for clinical application in cell-based therapies against interneuronopathies.

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In Drosophila, each external sensory organ originates from the division of a unique precursorcell (the sensory organ precursorcell or SOP. Each SOP is specified from a cluster of equivalent cells, called a proneural cluster, all of them competent to become SOP. Although, it is well known how SOP cells are selected from proneural clusters, little is known about the downstream genes that are regulated during SOP fate specification. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In order to better understand the mechanism involved in the specification of these precursorcells, we combined laser microdissection, toisolate SOP cells, with transcriptome analysis, to study their RNA profile. Using this procedure, we found that genes that exhibit a 2-fold or greater expression in SOPs versus epithelial cells were mainly associated with Gene Ontology (GO terms related with cell fate determination and sensory organ specification. Furthermore, we found that several genes such as pebbled/hindsight, scabrous, miranda, senseless, or cut, known to be expressed in SOP cells by independent procedures, are particularly detected in laser microdissected SOP cells rather than in epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results confirm the feasibility and the specificity of our laser microdissection based procedure. We anticipate that this analysis will give new insight into the selection and specification of neural precursorcells.

Ability of stroma precursorcells to early postradiation recovery was studied in male mices using the method of fraction irradiation of bone marrow. Donor mices of bone marrow were irradiated in vivo once by the total dose (nonfraction irradiation) and fractionally with 6 h interval between two irradiation doses. The cumulative irradiation doses equal to 10, 12, 14, 16 Gr were investigated. Irradiation was carried out using gamma facility. Bone marrow of the femur was implanted immediately after irradiation under kidney capsule of nonirradiated syngeneic recipient. The ability of stroma precursorcells to intracellular repair (repair index) was evaluated according to the ratio of the number of hemopoietic cells formed in heterotropic transplants in groups with fraction irradiation to the same one in groups with nonfraction irradiation. The obtained results testify to the fact that slowly regenerated highly radioresistant population of precursorcells of hemopoietic stroma is capable to early postradiation recovery

Primary neural stem cell cultures are useful for studying the mechanisms underlying central nervous system development. Stem cell research will increase our understanding of the nervous system and may allow us to develop treatments for currently incurable brain diseases and injuries. In addition, stem cells should be used for stem cell research aimed at the detailed study of mechanisms of neural differentiation and transdifferentiation and the genetic and environmental signals that direct the...

Anterior definitive endoderm (ADE), the ventral foregut precursor, is both an important embryonic signaling center and a unique multipotent precursor of liver, pancreas, and other organs. Here, a method is described for the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) to definitive...... endoderm with pronounced anterior character. ADE-containing cultures can be produced in vitro by suspension (embryoid body) culture or in a serum-free adherent monolayer culture. ESC-derived ADE cells are committed to endodermal fates and can undergo further differentiation in vitro towards ventral foregut...

The surprising discovery of bona fide synapses between neurons and oligodendrocytes precursorcells (OPCs) 15 years ago placed these progenitors as real partners of neurons in the CNS. The role of these synapses has not been established yet, but a main hypothesis is that neuron-OPC synaptic activity

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chemical methods of producing dyes involve extreme temperatures and unsafe toxic compounds. Application of oxidizing enzymes obtained from fungal species, for example laccase, is an alternative to chemical synthesis of dyes. Laccase can be replaced by fungal biomass acting as a whole-cell biocatalyst with properties comparable to the isolated form of the enzyme. The application of the whole-cell system simplifies the transformation process and reduces the time required for its completion. In the present work, four fungal strains with a well-known ability to produce laccase were tested for oxidation of 17 phenolic and non-phenolic precursors into stable and non-toxic dyes. Results An agar-plate screening test of the organic precursors was carried out using four fungal strains: Trametes versicolor, Fomes fomentarius, Abortiporus biennis, and Cerrena unicolor. Out of 17 precursors, nine were transformed into coloured substances in the presence of actively growing fungal mycelium. The immobilized fungal biomass catalyzed the transformation of 1 mM benzene and naphthalene derivatives in liquid cultures yielding stable and non-toxic products with good dyeing properties. The type of fungal strain had a large influence on the absorbance of the coloured products obtained after 48-hour transformation of the selected precursors, and the most effective was Fomes fomentarius (FF25. Whole-cell transformation of AHBS (3-amino-4-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid into a phenoxazinone dye was carried out in four different systems: in aqueous media comprising low amounts of carbon and nitrogen source, in buffer, and in distilled water. Conclusions This study demonstrated the ability of four fungal strains belonging to the ecological type of white rot fungi to transform precursors into dyes. This paper highlights the potential of fungal biomass for replacing isolated enzymes as a cheaper industrial-grade biocatalyst for the synthesis of dyes and other

The time dependence of the response of mouse bone marrow cells to erythropoietin (Ep) in vitro was studied. Experiments include studies on the Ep response of marrow cells from normal, plethoric, or bled mice. Results with normal marrow reveal: (1) Not all erythroid precursors (CFU-E) are alike in their response to Ep. A significant number of the precursors develop to a mature erythroid colony after very short Ep exposures, but they account for only approx. 13% of the total colonies generated when Ep is active for 48 hrs. If Ep is active more than 6 hrs, a second population of erythroid colonies emerges at a nearly constant rate until the end of the culture. Full erythroid colony production requires prolonged exposure to erythropoietin. (2) The longer erythropoietin is actively present, the larger the number of erythroid colonies that reach 17 cells or more. Two distinct populations of immediate erythroid precursors are also present in marrow from plethoric mice. In these mice, total colony numbers are equal to or below those obtained from normal mice. However, the population of fast-responding CFU-E is consistently decreased to 10 to 20% of that found in normal marrow. The remaining colonies are formed from plethoric marrow at a rate equal to normal marrow. With increasing Ep exposures, the number of large colonies produced increases. From the marrow of bled mice, total erythroid colony production is equal to or above that of normal marrow. Two populations of colony-forming cells are again evident, with the fast-responding CFU-E being below normal levels. The lack of colonies from this group was compensated in bled mice by rapid colony production in the second population. A real increase in numbers of precursors present in this pool increased the rate of colony production in culture to twice that of normal marrow. The number of large colonies obtained from bled mice was again increased as the Ep exposure was lengthened. (ERB)

T cell development in the thymus depends on continuous colonization by hematopoietic precursors. Several distinct T cellprecursors have been identified, but whether one or several independent precursorcell types maintain thymopoiesis is unclear. We have used thymus transplantation and an inducible lineage-tracing system to identify the intrathymic precursorcells among previously described thymus-homing progenitors that give rise to the T cell lineage in the thymus. Extrathymic precursors were not investigated in these studies. Both approaches show that the stream of T cell lineage precursorcells, when entering the thymus, selectively passes through the early T lineage precursor (ETP) stage. Immigrating precursorcells do not exhibit characteristics of double-negative (DN) 1c, DN1d, or DN1e stages, or of populations containing the common lymphoid precursor 2 (CLP-2) or the thymic equivalent of circulating T cell progenitors (CTPs). It remains possible that an unknown hematopoietic precursorcell or previously described extrathymic precursors with a CLP, CLP-2, or CTP phenotype feed into T cell development by circumventing known intrathymic T cell lineage progenitor cells. However, it is clear that of the known intrathymic precursors, only the ETP population contributes significant numbers of T lineage precursors to T cell development. PMID:18458114

Full Text Available Cells with monocyte/macrophage lineage expressing receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK differentiate into osteoclasts following stimulation with the RANK ligand (RANKL. Cell adhesion signaling is also required for osteoclast differentiation from precursors. However, details of the mechanism by which cell adhesion signals induce osteoclast differentiation have not been fully elucidated. To investigate the participation of cell adhesion signaling in osteoclast differentiation, mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs were used as osteoclast precursors, and cultured on either plastic cell culture dishes (adherent condition or the top surface of semisolid methylcellulose gel loaded in culture tubes (non-adherent condition. BMMs cultured under the adherent condition differentiated into osteoclasts in response to RANKL stimulation. However, under the non-adherent condition, the efficiency of osteoclast differentiation was markedly reduced even in the presence of RANKL. These BMMs retained macrophage characteristics including phagocytic function and gene expression profile. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS and tumor necrosis factor -αTNF-α activated the NF-κB-mediated signaling pathways under both the adherent and non-adherent conditions, while RANKL activated the pathways only under the adherent condition. BMMs highly expressed RANK mRNA and protein under the adherent condition as compared to the non-adherent condition. Also, BMMs transferred from the adherent to non-adherent condition showed downregulated RANK expression within 24 hours. In contrast, transferring those from the non-adherent to adherent condition significantly increased the level of RANK expression. Moreover, interruption of cell adhesion signaling by echistatin, an RGD-containing disintegrin, decreased RANK expression in BMMs, while forced expression of either RANK or TNFR-associated factor 6 (TRAF6 in BMMs induced their differentiation into osteoclasts even under the non

A method of forming a CIGSS absorber layer includes the steps of providing a metal precursor, and selenizing the metal precursor using diethyl selenium to form a selenized metal precursor layer (CIGSS absorber layer). A high efficiency solar cell includes a CIGSS absorber layer formed by a process including selenizing a metal precursor using diethyl selenium to form the CIGSS absorber layer.

of differentiation. In the present study we applied 2-DE combined with capillary-LC-MS/MS analysis to profile differentially regulated proteins upon differentiation of dental follicle precursorcells (DFPCs). Out of 115 differentially regulated proteins, glutamine synthetase, lysosomal proteinase cathepsin B....... The bioinformatic analyses suggest that proteins associated with cell cycle progression and protein metabolism were down-regulated and proteins involved in catabolism, cell motility and biological quality were up-regulated. These results display the general physiological state of DFPCs before and after osteogenic...... proteins, plastin 3 T-isoform, beta-actin, superoxide dismutases, and transgelin were found to be highly up-regulated, whereas cofilin-1, pro-alpha 1 collagen, destrin, prolyl 4-hydrolase and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase were found to be highly down-regulated. The group of up-regulated proteins...

Endothelium plays a key role in maintenance of vascular homeostasis in human organism. According to new data endothelial cells and hematopoietic cells have a common precursor in prenatal life--a hemangioblast, which explains the fact of sharing the same determinants on the surface of both type of cells. Circulating endothelial precursors were identified in adults and this suggests that hemangioblasts may be present not only during embriogenesis. In some clinical situations the increased numbers of endothelial cells and endothelial precursors were noted, and especially in patients with neoplastic diseases, which is probably the result of increased angiogenesis. Endothelial precursors are thought to be the promice for therapeutic purposes in future--to increase local angiogenesis.

Full Text Available The concept of CNS as an immune-privileged site has been challenged by the occurrence of immune surveillance and allogeneic graft rejection in the brain. Here we examined whether the immune response to allogeneic neural grafts is determined by the site of implantation in the CNS. Dramatic regional differences were observed between immune responses to allogeneic neural precursor/stem cell (NPC grafts in the striatum vs. the hippocampus. Striatal grafts were heavily infiltrated with IBA-1+ microglia/macrophages and CD3+ T cells and completely rejected. In contrast, hippocampal grafts exhibited milder IBA-1+ cell infiltration, were not penetrated efficiently by CD3+ cells, and survived efficiently for at least 2 months. To evaluate whether the hippocampal protective effect is universal, astrocytes were then transplanted. Allogeneic astrocyte grafts elicited a vigorous rejection process from the hippocampus. CD200, a major immune-inhibitory signal, plays an important role in protecting grafts from rejection. Indeed, CD200 knock out NPC grafts were rejected more efficiently than wild type NPCs from the striatum. However, lack of CD200 expression did not elicit NPC graft rejection from the hippocampus. In conclusion, the hippocampus has partial immune-privilege properties that are restricted to NPCs and are CD200-independent. The unique hippocampal milieu may be protective for allogeneic NPC grafts, through host-graft interactions enabling sustained immune-regulatory properties of transplanted NPCs. These findings have implications for providing adequate immunosuppression in clinical translation of cell therapy.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in humans, with a uniformly poor prognosis. The tumor microenvironment is composed of both supportive cellular substrates and exogenous factors. We hypothesize that exogenous factors secreted by brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs) could predispose normal neural precursorcells (NPCs) to transformation. When NPCs are grown in GBM-conditioned media, and designated as "tumor-conditioned NPCs" (tcNPCs), they become highly proliferative and exhibit increased stem cell self-renewal, or the unique ability of stem cells to asymmetrically generate another stem cell and a daughter cell. tcNPCs also show an increased transcript level of stem cell markers such as CD133 and ALDH and growth factor receptors such as VEGFR1, VEGFR2, EGFR and PDGFRα. Media analysis by ELISA of GBM-conditioned media reveals an elevated secretion of growth factors such as EGF, VEGF and PDGF-AA when compared to normal neural stem cell-conditioned media. We also demonstrate that tcNPCs require prolonged or continuous exposure to the GBM secretome in vitro to retain GBM BTIC characteristics. Our in vivo studies reveal that tcNPCs are unable to form tumors, confirming that irreversible transformation events may require sustained or prolonged presence of the GBM secretome. Analysis of GBM-conditioned media by mass spectrometry reveals the presence of secreted proteins Chitinase-3-like 1 (CHI3L1) and H2A histone family member H2AX. Collectively, our data suggest that GBM-secreted factors are capable of transiently altering normal NPCs, although for retention of the transformed phenotype, sustained or prolonged secretome exposure or additional transformation events are likely necessary.

In an earlier study, we generated a large number of Mycobacterium leprae-responsive and M. leprae-nonresponsive T cell clones (TCC) from the lesional skin of immunologic unstable borderline leprosy patients. In that study, we divided TCC into type 1- and type 2-like on the basis of their IFN-gamma

Perovskite semiconductors have emerged as competitive candidates for photovoltaic applications due to their exceptional optoelectronic properties. However, the impact of moisture instability on perovskite films is still a key challenge for perovskite devices. While substantial effort is focused on preventing moisture interaction during the fabrication process, it is demonstrated that low moisture sensitivity, enhanced crystallization, and high performance can actually be achieved by exposure to high water content (up to 25 vol%) during fabrication with an aqueous-containing perovskite precursor. The perovskite solar cells fabricated by this aqueous method show good reproducibility of high efficiency with average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.7% and champion PCE of 20.1% under solar simulation. This study shows that water-perovskite interactions do not necessarily negatively impact the perovskite film preparation process even at the highest efficiencies and that exposure to high contents of water can actually enable humidity tolerance during fabrication in air.

The paper gives data on acute secondary disease developing in supra-lethally irradiated dogs and monkeys after transplantation of allogenic bone marrow. On the basis of the experimental data obtained, the author discusses the question whether haemopoietic stem cells play a role as first links in the histogenesis of the lymphoid elements responsible for acute secondary disease. (author)

Neural stem cells are generally considered to be committed to becoming precursorcells before terminally differentiating into either neurons or glial cells during neural development. Neuronal and oligodendrocyte precursorcells have been identified in several areas in the murine central nervous system. The presence of astrocyte precursorcells (APCs) is not so well understood. The present study provides several lines of evidence that CD44-positive cells are APCs in the early postnatal mouse cerebellum. In developing mouse cerebellum, CD44-positive cells, mostly located in the white matter, were positive for the markers of the astrocyte lineage, but negative for the markers of mature astrocytes. CD44-positive cells were purified from postnatal cerebellum by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and characterized in vitro. In the absence of any signaling molecule, many cells died by apoptosis. The surviving cells gradually expressed glial fibrillary acidic protein, a marker for mature astrocytes, indicating that differentiation into mature astrocytes is the default program for these cells. The cells produced no neurospheres nor neurons nor oligodendrocytes under any condition examined, indicating these cells are not neural stem cells. Leukemia inhibitory factor greatly promoted astrocytic differentiation of CD44-positive cells, whereas bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) did not. Fibroblast growth factor-2 was a potent mitogen for these cells, but was insufficient for survival. BMP4 inhibited activation of caspase-3 and greatly promoted survival, suggesting a novel role for BMP4 in the control of development of astrocytes in cerebellum. We isolated and characterized only CD44 strongly positive large cells and discarded small and/or CD44 weakly positive cells in this study. Further studies are necessary to characterize these cells to help determine whether CD44 is a selective and specific marker for APCs in the developing mouse cerebellum. In conclusion, we succeeded in

Full Text Available Repopulation of brain circuits by neural precursors is a potential therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative disorders; however, choice of cell is critical. Previously, we introduced a two-step culture system that generates a high yield of neural precursors from small samples of adult canine skin. Here, we probe their gene and protein expression profiles in comparison with dermal fibroblasts and brain-derived neural stem cells and characterize their neuronal potential. To date, we have produced >50 skin-derived neural precursor (SKN lines. SKNs can be cultured in a highly replicable fashion and uniformly express a panel of identifying markers. Upon differentiation, they self-upregulate neural specification genes, generating neurons with basic electrophysiological functionality. This unique population of neural precursors, derived from mature skin, overcomes many of the practical issues that have limited clinical translation of alternative cell types. Easily accessible, neuronally committed, and patient specific, SKNs may have potential for the treatment of brain disorders.

Oligodendrocyte precursorcells (OPCs) are a major source of remyelinating oligodendrocytes in demyelinating diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). While OPCs are innervated by unmyelinated axons in the normal brain, the fate of such synaptic contacts after demyelination is still unclear. By combining electrophysiology and immunostainings in different transgenic mice expressing fluorescent reporters, we studied the synaptic innervation of OPCs in the model of lysolecithin (LPC)-induced demyelination of corpus callosum. Synaptic innervation of reactivated OPCs in the lesion was revealed by the presence of AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic currents, VGluT1+ axon-OPC contacts in 3D confocal reconstructions and synaptic junctions observed by electron microscopy. Moreover, 3D confocal reconstructions of VGluT1 and NG2 immunolabeling showed the existence of glutamatergic axon-OPC contacts in post-mortem MS lesions. Interestingly, patch-clamp recordings in LPC-induced lesions demonstrated a drastic decrease in spontaneous synaptic activity of OPCs early after demyelination that was not caused by an impaired conduction of compound action potentials. A reduction in synaptic connectivity was confirmed by the lack of VGluT1+ axon-OPC contacts in virtually all rapidly proliferating OPCs stained with EdU (50-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine). At the end of the massive proliferation phase in lesions, the proportion of innervated OPCs rapidly recovers, although the frequency of spontaneous synaptic currents did not reach control levels. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that newly-generated OPCs do not receive synaptic inputs during their active proliferation after demyelination, but gain synapses during the remyelination process. Hence, glutamatergic synaptic inputs may contribute to inhibit OPC proliferation and might have a physiopathological relevance in demyelinating disorders. PMID:25852473

Although tissue mast cells are derived from the bone marrow, some descendants of bone marrow-derived precursors retain the ability to proliferate and differentiate into mast cells even after localization in the skin. The purpose of the present study was to determine the D 0 values for mast-cellprecursors in the bone marrow and those localized in the skin. Bone marrow cells were removed from (WB X C57BL/6)F 1 +/+ mice after various doses of irradiation and injected into the skin of the congenic W/W/sup v/ mice which were genetically without mast cells. Radiosensitivity of mast-cellprecursors in the bone marrow was evaluated by determining the proportion of the injection sites at which mast cells did not appear. For the assay of the radiosensitivity of mast-cellprecursors localized in the skin, pieces of skin were removed from beige C57BL/6 (bg/sup J//bg/sup J/, Chediak-Higashi syndrome) mice after various doses of irradiation and grafted onto the backs of the normal C57BL/6 mice. Radiosensitivity of mast-cellprecursors in the skin was evaluated by determining the decrease of beige-type mast cells which possessed giant granules. Mast-cellprecursors in the bone marrow were much more radiosenitive than those localized in the skin. D 0 value was about 100 rad for the former and about 800 rad for the latter

Although tissue mast cells are derived from the bone marrow, some descendants of bone marrow-derived precursors retain the ability to proliferate and differentiate into mast cells even after localization in the skin. The purpose of the present study was to determine the D0 values for mast-cellprecursors in the bone marrow and those localized in the skin. Bone marrow cells were removed from (WB X C57BL/6)F1-+/+ mice after various doses of irradiation and injected into the skin of the congenic W/Wv mice which were genetically without mast cells. Radiosensitivity of mast-cellprecursors in the bone marrow was evaluated by determining the proportion of the injection sites at which mast cells did not appear. For the assay of the radiosensitivity of mast-cellprecursors localized in the skin, pieces of skin were removed from beige C57BL/6 (bgJ/bgJ. Chediak-Higashi syndrome) mice after various doses of irradiation and grafted onto the back of the normal C57BL/6 mice. Radiosensitivity of mast-cellprecursors in the skin was evaluated by determining the decrease of beige-type mast cells which possessed giant granules. Mast-cellprecursors in the bone marrow were much more radiosensitive than those localized in the skin. D0 value was about 100 rad for the former and about 800 rad for the latter

Full Text Available Here we demonstrate, both in vivo and in vitro, that growth hormone (GH mediates precursorcell activation in the subventricular zone (SVZ of the aged (12-month-old brain following exercise, and that GH signaling stimulates precursor activation to a similar extent to exercise. Our results reveal that both addition of GH in culture and direct intracerebroventricular infusion of GH stimulate neural precursorcells in the aged brain. In contrast, no increase in neurosphere numbers was observed in GH receptor null animals following exercise. Continuous infusion of a GH antagonist into the lateral ventricle of wild-type animals completely abolished the exercise-induced increase in neural precursorcell number. Given that the aged brain does not recover well after injury, we investigated the direct effect of exercise and GH on neural precursorcell activation following irradiation. This revealed that physical exercise as well as infusion of GH promoted repopulation of neural precursorcells in irradiated aged animals. Conversely, infusion of a GH antagonist during exercise prevented recovery of precursorcells in the SVZ following irradiation.

Here we demonstrate, both in vivo and in vitro, that growth hormone (GH) mediates precursorcell activation in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the aged (12-month-old) brain following exercise, and that GH signaling stimulates precursor activation to a similar extent to exercise. Our results reveal that both addition of GH in culture and direct intracerebroventricular infusion of GH stimulate neural precursorcells in the aged brain. In contrast, no increase in neurosphere numbers was observed in GH receptor null animals following exercise. Continuous infusion of a GH antagonist into the lateral ventricle of wild-type animals completely abolished the exercise-induced increase in neural precursorcell number. Given that the aged brain does not recover well after injury, we investigated the direct effect of exercise and GH on neural precursorcell activation following irradiation. This revealed that physical exercise as well as infusion of GH promoted repopulation of neural precursorcells in irradiated aged animals. Conversely, infusion of a GH antagonist during exercise prevented recovery of precursorcells in the SVZ following irradiation. PMID:23209615

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mast cells have recently gained new importance as immunoregulatory cells that are involved in numerous pathological processes. One result of these processes is an increase in mast cell numbers at peripheral sites. This study was undertaken to determine the mast cell response in the peritoneal cavity and bone marrow during repopulation of the peritoneal cavity in rats. Results Two mast cell specific antibodies, mAb AA4 and mAb BGD6, were used to distinguish the committed mast cellprecursor from more mature mast cells. The peritoneal cavity was depleted of mast cells using distilled water. Twelve hours after distilled water injection, very immature mast cells could be isolated from the blood and by 48 hours were present in the peritoneal cavity. At this same time the percentage of mast cells in mitosis increased fourfold. Mast cell depletion of the peritoneal cavity also reduced the total number of mast cells in the bone marrow, but increased the number of mast cell committed precursors. Conclusions In response to mast cell depletion of the peritoneal cavity, a mast cell progenitor is released into the circulation and participates in repopulation of the peritoneal cavity, while the committed mast cellprecursor is retained in the bone marrow.

Full Text Available Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is regulated by activity. But how do neural precursorcells in the hippocampus respond to surrounding network activity and translate increased neural activity into a developmental program? Here we show that long-term potential (LTP-like synaptic activity within a cellular network of mature hippocampal neurons promotes neuronal differentiation of newly generated cells. In co-cultures of precursorcells with primary hippocampal neurons, LTP-like synaptic plasticity induced by addition of glycine in Mg2+-free media for 5 min, produced synchronous network activity and subsequently increased synaptic strength between neurons. Furthermore, this synchronous network activity led to a significant increase in neuronal differentiation from the co-cultured neural precursorcells. When applied directly to precursorcells, glycine and Mg2+-free solution did not induce neuronal differentiation. Synaptic plasticity-induced neuronal differentiation of precursorcells was observed in the presence of GABAergic neurotransmission blockers but was dependent on NMDA-mediated Ca2+ influx. Most importantly, neuronal differentiation required the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF from the underlying substrate hippocampal neurons as well as TrkB receptor phosphorylation in precursorcells. This suggests that activity-dependent stem cell differentiation within the hippocampal network is mediated via synaptically evoked BDNF signaling.

The potential of hematopoietic precursorcells, recently immigrated into the 13- and 14-day-old embryonic bursa, to migrate to the thymus and to differentiate to functional T cells was investigated. Chromosomally marked cell populations obtained from 13- and 14-day-old embryonic bursas were transferred i.v. to 780 R γ-irradiated chick embryos of equivalent age. When appropriate chimeras were examined at 4 to 12 weeks after cell transfer, donor cells were found to proliferate primarily in the bursa. Significant donor cell influx into the thymus was not detected. In correlation with these findings, Con A- and PHA-responsive T cells in thymus and spleen cell cultures of recipients remained of host origin whereas the number of anti-CIg responsive B cells of donor type increased gradually in the spleens of recipients. An initial lag period preceded the accumulation of functional donor B cells in the spleens of recipients, despite the predominant presence of dividing donor cells in the bursa. This suggests that the transferred bursal cell population required substantially longer to mature and emigrate from the bursa as functional B cells than the host cell population remaining in the irradiated bursas at time of cell transfer. The failure to detect significant influx of donor cells into the thymus and their failure to differentiate to functional T cells suggest that the recently bursa-immigrated hematopoietic stem cells of 13- and 14-day-old embryos may not be pluripotential cells, but rather cells already committed to the B cell line of differentiation

Full Text Available Abstract Background It is well known that focal ischemia increases neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation but the cellular mechanisms underlying this proliferative response are only poorly understood. We here investigated whether precursorcells which constitutively proliferate before the ischemic infarct contribute to post-ischemic neurogenesis. To this purpose, transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP under the control of the nestin promoter received repetitive injections of the proliferation marker bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU prior to induction of cortical infarcts. We then immunocytochemically analyzed the fate of these BrdU-positive precursorcell subtypes from day 4 to day 28 after the lesion. Results Quantification of BrdU-expressing precursorcell populations revealed no alteration in number of radial glia-like type 1 cells but a sequential increase of later precursorcell subtypes in lesioned animals (type 2a cells at day 7, type 3 cells/immature neurons at day 14. These alterations result in an enhanced survival of mature neurons 4 weeks postinfarct. Conclusions Focal cortical infarcts recruit dentate precursorcells generated already before the infarct and significantly contribute to an enhanced neurogenesis. Our findings thereby increase our understanding of the complex cellular mechanisms of postlesional neurogenesis.

Neural precursor (NP) cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), and their neuronal progeny, will play an important role in disease modeling, drug screening tests, central nervous system development studies, and may even become valuable for regenerative medicine treatments. Nonetheless, it is challenging to obtain homogeneous and synchronously differentiated NP populations from hiPSCs, and after neural commitment many pluripotent stem cells remain in the differentiated cultures. Here, we describe an efficient and simple protocol to differentiate hiPSC-derived NPs in 12 days, and we include a final purification stage where Tra-1-60+ pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are removed using magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS), leaving the NP population nearly free of PSCs.

Introduction Stromal-epithelial interactions play a fundamental role in tissue homeostasis, controlling cell proliferation and differentiation. Not surprisingly, aberrant stromal-epithelial interactions contribute to malignancies. Studies of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions require ex vivo experimental model systems that recapitulate the complexity of human tissue without compromising the differentiation and proliferation potentials of human primary cells. Methods We isolated and characterized human breast epithelial and mesenchymal precursors from reduction mammoplasty tissue and tagged them with lentiviral vectors. We assembled heterotypic co-cultures and compared mesenchymal and epithelial cells to cells in corresponding monocultures by analyzing growth, differentiation potentials, and gene expression profiles. Results We show that heterotypic culture of non-immortalized human primary breast epithelial and mesenchymal precursors maintains their proliferation and differentiation potentials and constrains their growth. We further describe the gene expression profiles of stromal and epithelial cells in co-cultures and monocultures and show increased expression of the tumor growth factor beta (TGFβ) family member inhibin beta A (INHBA) in mesenchymal cells grown as co-cultures compared with monocultures. Notably, overexpression of INHBA in mesenchymal cells increases colony formation potential of epithelial cells, suggesting that it contributes to the dynamic reciprocity between breast mesenchymal and epithelial cells. Conclusions The described heterotypic co-culture system will prove useful for further characterization of the molecular mechanisms mediating interactions between human normal or neoplastic breast epithelial cells and the stroma, and will provide a framework to test the relevance of the ever-increasing number of oncogenomic alterations identified in human breast cancer. PMID:24916766

Cell surface C-reactive protein (S-CRP) is expressed on the surface membrane of a small percentage of lymphocytes. Anti-CRP inhibits natural killer (NK) function. Since NK effectors are heterogeneous, they suspected that the cells expressing S-CRP (CRP + ) might respond differently to stimulation than the NK effectors lacking S-CRP (CRP - ). Methods were developed to separate CRP + and CRP - lymphocytes and their functional responses were examined and compared. These techniques are dependent upon the binding of CRP to its ligands, C-polysaccharide (CPS) or Phosphocholine (PC). The first method involves rosette formation with CPS coupled autologous red blood cells; the second method utilizes the binding of CRP + lymphocytes to PC-sepharose. Lymphocytes separated using either of these techniques yield similar results. CRP - lymphocytes respond to 3 day incubation with PHA or Il-2 by producing effectors which kill 51 Cr labeled K562 tumor cells, CRP + precursors do not. CRP + lymphocytes respond to a 5 day incubation with inactivated K562 by producing effectors which kill K562; CRP - precursors do not. NK functional activity of both is increased by incubation with interferon. This ability to respond differently to stimulation suggests that CRP + and CRP - cells are functionally distinct

The molecular mechanisms and the cell-of-origin leading to retinoblastoma are not well defined. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Bremner and colleagues describe the first inheritable model of retinoblastoma, revealing that loss of the pocket proteins pRb and p107 deregulates cell cycle exit in retinal...... precursors. The authors show that a subset of these precursors contain an inherent resistance to apoptosis, and that while most terminally differentiate, some are likely to acquire additional mutations, leading to tumor formation. Thus, this work defines the cell-of-origin of retinoblastoma and suggests...... that mutations giving increased proliferative capacity are required for retinoblastoma development....

beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2m) attracts hemopoietic precursors from chicken bone marrow cells in vitro. The cell population responding to beta 2m increases during the second period of thymus colonization, which takes place at days 12-14 of incubation. The precursors from 13.5 day old embryos were...... isolated after migration towards beta 2m in vitro and shown to be able to colonize a 13 day old thymus in ovo, where they subsequently acquire thymocyte markers. In contrast these beta 2m responsive precursors did not colonize embryonic bursa, i.e. differentiate into B lymphocytes. During chicken...... embryogenesis, peaks of beta 2m transcripts and of free beta 2m synthesis can only be detected in the thymus. The peak of free beta 2m synthesis in the thymus and the increase of beta 2m responding bone marrow cells both occur concomitantly with the second wave of thymus colonization in chicken embryo, facts...

To examine the sequential development of early B-cellprecursors in mouse bone marrow, B-lineage cells have been examined during a wave of post-irradiation regeneration. Cell phenotypes have been defined for (i) terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT); (ii) B220 glycoprotein, (iii) μ heavy chains in the cytoplasm (cμ) and at the cell surface (sμ). Three populations of μ - cells (TdT + 14.8 - ; TdT + 14.8 + ; TdT - 14.8 + ) have been proposed to be early B-cellprecursors which would give rise to cμ + sμ - pre-B cells and to sμ + B lymphocytes. The timing, cell-size shifts and progressive amplification of the waves of regeneration accord with a dynamic model in which the TdT + 14.8 - , TdT + 14.8 + and TdT - 14.8 + cells form three successive stages in B-cell differentiation before the expression of μ chains, presumptively including the stage of μ chain gene rearrangement. In addition, the results provide an experimental system for the enrichment of early B-cellprecursors in mouse bone marrow. (author)

Background Taste buds contain ~60 elongate cells and several basal cells. Elongate cells comprise three functional taste cell types: I - glial cells, II - bitter/sweet/umami receptor cells, and III - sour detectors. Although taste cells are continuously renewed, lineage relationships among cell types are ill-defined. Basal cells have been proposed as taste bud stem cells, a subset of which express Sonic hedgehog (Shh). However, Shh+ basal cells turnover rapidly suggesting that Shh+ cells are precursors of some or all taste cell types. Results To fate map Shh-expressing cells, mice carrying ShhCreERT2 and a high (CAG-CAT-EGFP) or low (R26RLacZ) efficiency reporter allele were given tamoxifen to activate Cre in Shh+ cells. Using R26RLacZ, lineage-labeled cells occur singly within buds, supporting a post-mitotic state for Shh+ cells. Using either reporter, we show that Shh+ cells differentiate into all three taste cell types, in proportions reflecting cell type ratios in taste buds (I > II > III). Conclusions Shh+ cells are not stem cells, but are post-mitotic, immediate precursors of taste cells. Shh+ cells differentiate into each of the three taste cell types, and the choice of a specific taste cell fate is regulated to maintain the proper ratio within buds. PMID:24590958

A process for isolating tissue-specific progenitor cells exploits solid fat tissue obtained as waste from such elective surgical procedures as abdominoplasties (tummy tucks) and breast reductions. Until now, a painful and risky process of aspiration of bone marrow has been used to obtain a limited number of tissue- specific progenitor cells. The present process yields more tissue-specific progenitor cells and involves much less pain and risk for the patient. This process includes separation of fat from skin, mincing of the fat into small pieces, and forcing a fat saline mixture through a sieve. The mixture is then digested with collagenase type I in an incubator. After centrifugation tissue-specific progenitor cells are recovered and placed in a tissue-culture medium in flasks or Petri dishes. The tissue-specific progenitor cells can be used for such purposes as (1) generating three-dimensional tissue equivalent models for studying bone loss and muscle atrophy (among other deficiencies) and, ultimately, (2) generating replacements for tissues lost by the fat donor because of injury or disease.

Full Text Available Embryonic neuroepithelia and adult subventricular zone (SVZ stem and progenitor cells express nestin. We characterized a transgenic line that expresses enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP specified to neural tissue by the second intronic enhancer of the nestin promoter that had several novel features. During embryogenesis, the dorsal telencephalon contained many and the ventral telencephalon few eGFP+ cells. eGFP+ cells were found in postnatal and adult neurogenic regions. eGFP+ cells in the SVZ expressed multiple phenotype markers, glial fibrillary acidic protein, Dlx, and neuroblast-specific molecules suggesting the transgene is expressed through the lineage. eGFP+ cell numbers increased in the SVZ after cortical injury, suggesting this line will be useful in probing postinjury neurogenesis. In non-neurogenic regions, eGFP was strongly expressed in oligodendrocyte progenitors, but not in astrocytes, even when they were reactive. This eGFP+ mouse will facilitate studies of proliferative neuroepithelia and adult neurogenesis, as well as of parenchymal oligodendrocytes.

The aim of this investigation was an immunohistochemical study of alpha-endorphin-producing cells and also a study of rat mast cells (MC in the antral mucosa of the human stomach. Men aged 18 to 30 years undergoing in-patient treatment wre studied. According to the results of radioimmunoassay, antibodies against alpha-endorphin did not react with enkephalins, beta-endorphin, or the C-terminal fragment of beta-endorphin, but had cross reactivity of about 10% with gammaendorphin. Results were subjected to statistical analysis by Student's test at a 85% level of significance and they are shown. The facts presented here suggest that MC of human gastric mucosa include argyrophilic cells which contain alpha-endorphin.

Full Text Available Recent studies have reported direct reprogramming of human fibroblasts to mature neurons by the introduction of defined neural genes. This technology has potential use in the areas of neurological disease modeling and drug development. However, use of induced neurons for large-scale drug screening and cell-based replacement strategies is limited due to their inability to expand once reprogrammed. We propose it would be more desirable to induce expandable neural precursorcells directly from human fibroblasts. To date several pluripotent and neural transcription factors have been shown to be capable of converting mouse fibroblasts to neural stem/precursor-like cells when delivered by viral vectors. Here we extend these findings and demonstrate that transient ectopic insertion of the transcription factors SOX2 and PAX6 to adult human fibroblasts through use of non-viral plasmid transfection or protein transduction allows the generation of induced neural precursor (iNP colonies expressing a range of neural stem and pro-neural genes. Upon differentiation, iNP cells give rise to neurons exhibiting typical neuronal morphologies and expressing multiple neuronal markers including tyrosine hydroxylase and GAD65/67. Importantly, iNP-derived neurons demonstrate electrophysiological properties of functionally mature neurons with the capacity to generate action potentials. In addition, iNP cells are capable of differentiating into glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP-expressing astrocytes. This study represents a novel virus-free approach for direct reprogramming of human fibroblasts to a neural precursor fate.

Long term effects of different doses of ionizing radiation on human skeletal muscle myoblast proliferation, cytokine signalling and stress response capacity were studied in primary cell cultures. Human skeletal muscle myoblasts obtained from muscle biopsies were cultured and irradiated with a Darpac 2000 X-ray unit at doses of 4, 6 and 8 Gy. Acute effects of radiation were studied by interleukin – 6 (IL-6) release and stress response detected by the heat shock protein (HSP) level, while long term effects were followed by proliferation capacity and cell death. Compared with non-irradiated control and cells treated with inhibitor of cell proliferation Ara C, myoblast proliferation decreased 72 h post-irradiation, this effect was more pronounced with increasing doses. Post-irradiation myoblast survival determined by measurement of released LDH enzyme activity revealed increased activity after exposure to irradiation. The acute response of myoblasts to lower doses of irradiation (4 and 6 Gy) was decreased secretion of constitutive IL-6. Higher doses of irradiation triggered a stress response in myoblasts, determined by increased levels of stress markers (HSPs 27 and 70). Our results show that myoblasts are sensitive to irradiation in terms of their proliferation capacity and capacity to secret IL-6. Since myoblast proliferation and differentiation are a key stage in muscle regeneration, this effect of irradiation needs to be taken in account, particularly in certain clinical conditions

Unrelated cells such as dental follicle precursorcells (DFPCs) and retinal Müller cells (MCs) make spheres after cultivation in serum-replacement medium (SRM). Until today, the relation and molecular processes of sphere formation from different cell types remain undescribed. Thus in this study we...... compared proteomes of spheres derived from MCs and DFPCs. 73% of 676 identified proteins were similar expressed in both cell types and many of them are expressed in the brain (55%). Moreover proteins are overrepresented that are associated with pathways for neural diseases such as Huntington disease...... or Alzheimer disease. Interestingly up-regulated proteins in DFPCs are involved in the biosynthesis of glycosphingolipids. These lipids are components of gangliosides such as GD3, which is a novel neural stem cell marker. In conclusion spheres from different types of cells have highly similar proteomes...

We describe a simple and new method to create hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells consisting of ZnO and conjugated polymers. A gel-forming ZnO precursor, blended with conjugated polymers, is converted into crystalline ZnO at temperatures as low as 110 °C. In-situ formation of ZnO in MDMO-PPV

Wall chart: The predominant component of the bacterial cell wall, peptidoglycan, consists of long alternating stretches of aminosugar subunits interlinked in a large three-dimensional network and is formed from precursors through several cytosolic and membrane-bound steps. The high tolerance of the

Primary T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) in the eye region is very rare. The present study described a unique case of T-LBL involving the extraocular muscles. A 22-year-old male patient presented with a 3-week history of headache, reduced visual acuity and edema of the left eye. Clinical...... knowledge, this is the first report of a case of T-LBL involving the extraocular muscles. Although primary T-LBL in the eye region is very rare, our findings demonstrate that lymphoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with similar symptoms....

Brain and skull developments are tightly synchronized, allowing the cranial bones to dynamically adapt to the brain shape. At the brain-skull interface, meninges produce the trophic signals necessary for normal corticogenesis and bone development. Meninges harbor different cell populations, including cells forming the endosteum of the cranial vault. Recently, we and other groups have described the presence in meninges of a cell population endowed with neural differentiation potential in vitro and, after transplantation, in vivo. However, whether meninges may be a niche for neural progenitor cells during embryonic development and in adulthood remains to be determined. In this work we provide the first description of the distribution of neural precursor markers in rat meninges during development up to adulthood. We conclude that meninges share common properties with the classical neural stem cell niche, as they: (i) are a highly proliferating tissue; (ii) host cells expressing neural precursor markers such as nestin, vimentin, Sox2 and doublecortin; and (iii) are enriched in extracellular matrix components (e.g., fractones) known to bind and concentrate growth factors. This study underlines the importance of meninges as a potential niche for endogenous precursorcells during development and in adulthood.

Primary T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) in the eye region is very rare. The present study described a unique case of T-LBL involving the extraocular muscles. A 22-year-old male patient presented with a 3-week history of headache, reduced visual acuity and edema of the left eye. Clinical...... examination revealed left-sided exophthalmus, periorbital edema, chemosis, and reduced motility of the left eye. A magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed thickening of the left orbital muscles and a positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan also demonstrated activity in a subclavicular lymph....... There was no involvement of the bone marrow. Based on the clinical and histopathological findings, a diagnosis of T-LBL was made. There was no evidence of NOTCH1 mutation or rearrangements of the ETV6 and MLL genes and high-resolution array-based comparative genomic hybridization (arrayCGH) analysis revealed a normal...

It is well known that physical inactivity leads to loss of muscle mass, but it also causes bone loss. Mechanistically, osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption have recently been shown to be regulated by vibration. However, the underlying mechanism behind the inhibition of osteoclast formation is yet unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether mechanical vibration of osteoclast precursorcells affects osteoclast formation by the involvement of fusion-related molecules such as dendritic cell-spe...

Full Text Available Prognosis of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL has been dramatically improved. However, prognosis of the cases refractory to primary therapy is still poor. Recent phase 2 study on the efficacy of combination chemotherapy with bortezomib (BTZ, a proteasome inhibitor, for refractory childhood ALL demonstrated favorable clinical outcomes. However, septic death was observed in over 10% of patients, indicating the necessity of biomarkers that could predict BTZ sensitivity. We investigated in vitro BTZ sensitivity in a large panel of ALL cell lines that acted as a model system for refractory ALL, and found that Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+ ALL, IKZF1 deletion, and biallelic loss of CDKN2A were associated with favorable response. Even in Ph-negative ALL cell lines, IKZF1 deletion and bilallelic loss of CDKN2A were independently associated with higher BTZ sensitivity. BTZ showed only marginal cross-resistance to four representative chemotherapeutic agents (vincristine, dexamethasone, l-asparaginase, and daunorubicin in B-cellprecursor-ALL cell lines. To improve the efficacy and safety of proteasome inhibitor combination chemotherapy, we also analyzed the anti-leukemic activity of carfilzomib (CFZ, a second-generation proteasome inhibitor, as a substitute for BTZ. CFZ showed significantly higher activity than BTZ in the majority of ALL cell lines except for the P-glycoprotein-positive t(17;19 ALL cell lines, and IKZF1 deletion was also associated with a favorable response to CFZ treatment. P-glycoprotein inhibitors effectively restored the sensitivity to CFZ, but not BTZ, in P-glycoprotein-positive t(17;19 ALL cell lines. P-glycoprotein overexpressing ALL cell line showed a CFZ-specific resistance, while knockout of P-glycoprotein by genome editing with a CRISPR/Cas9 system sensitized P-glycoprotein-positive t(17;19 ALL cell line to CFZ. These observations suggested that IKZF1 deletion could be a useful biomarker to predict good

The cytokine leukemia-inhibitory factor (LIF) is expressed by skeletal muscle and induces proliferation of muscle precursorcells, an important feature of skeletal muscle maintenance and repair. We hypothesized that muscle precursorcells from patients with type 2 diabetes had a deficient response...... nor proliferation rate was affected. In conclusion, although LIF and LIFR proteins were increased in muscle tissue and myoblasts from diabetic patients, LIF signaling and LIF-stimulated cell proliferation were impaired in diabetic myoblasts, suggesting a novel mechanism by which muscle function......RNA knockdown of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)3 in myoblast cultures established from healthy individuals and patients with type 2 diabetes. Myoblast proliferation rate was assessed by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. LIF and LIFR proteins were increased in both muscle tissue and cultured myoblasts...

There is a lot of excitement about the potential use of multipotent neural stem cells for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the strategy is compromised by the general loss of multipotency and ability to generate neurons after long-term in vitro propagation. In the present study......, human embryonic (5 weeks post-conception) ventral mesencephalic (VM) precursorcells were propagated as neural tissue-spheres (NTS) in epidermal growth factor (EGF; 20 ng/ml) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2; 20 ng/ml). After more than 325 days, the NTS were transferred to media containing either...... EGF+FGF2, EGF+FGF2+heparin or leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF; 10 ng/ml)+FGF2+heparin. Cultures were subsequently propagated for more than 180 days with NTS analyzed at various time-points. Our data show for the first time that human VM neural precursorcells can be long-term propagated as NTS...

, we explored both in vitro and in vivo, in human, the interactions of differentially activated MPs with myogenic precursorcells (MPCs) during adult myogenesis and skeletal muscle regeneration. We showed in vitro that through the differential secretion of cytokines and growth factors, proinflammatory...... anti-inflammatory markers. These data demonstrate for the first time in human that MPs sequentially orchestrate adult myogenesis during regeneration of damaged skeletal muscle. These results support the emerging concept that inflammation, through MP activation, controls stem cell fate and coordinates......Macrophages (MPs) exert either beneficial or deleterious effects on tissue repair, depending on their activation/polarization state. They are crucial for adult skeletal muscle repair, notably by acting on myogenic precursorcells. However, these interactions have not been fully characterized. Here...

Full Text Available Human neural precursorcells (hNPCs derived from pluripotent stem cells display a high propensity for neuronal differentiation, but they require long-term culturing to differentiate efficiently into astrocytes. The mechanisms underlying this biased fate specification of hNPCs remain elusive. Here, we show that hypoxia confers astrocytic differentiation potential on hNPCs through epigenetic gene regulation, and that this was achieved by cooperation between hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and Notch signaling, accompanied by a reduction of DNA methylation level in the promoter region of a typical astrocyte-specific gene, Glial fibrillary acidic protein. Furthermore, we found that this hypoxic culture condition could be applied to rapid generation of astrocytes from Rett syndrome patient-derived hNPCs, and that these astrocytes impaired neuronal development. Thus, our findings shed further light on the molecular mechanisms regulating hNPC differentiation and provide attractive tools for the development of therapeutic strategies for treating astrocyte-mediated neurological disorders.

Cell-based therapies are considered as one of the most promising approaches for the treatment of degenerating pathologies including muscle disorders and dystrophies. Advances in the approach of reprogramming somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells allow for the possibility of using the patient's own pluripotent cells to generate specific tissues for autologous transplantation. In addition, patient-specific tissue derivatives have been shown to represent valuable material for disease modeling and drug discovery. Nevertheless, directed differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into a specific lineage is not a trivial task especially in the case of skeletal myogenesis, which is generally poorly recapitulated during the in vitro differentiation of pluripotent stem cells.Here, we describe a practical and efficient method for the derivation of skeletal myogenic precursors from differentiating human pluripotent stem cells using controlled expression of PAX7. Flow cytometry (FACS) purified myogenic precursors can be expanded exponentially and differentiated in vitro into myotubes, enabling researchers to use these cells for disease modeling as well as therapeutic purposes.

Full Text Available Abstract Precursor B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (PBLL is an infrequent subtype of lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL that commonly affected site for the diagnosis is the skin, followed by the head and neck. In this report, we presented a special case of PBLL located at the left arm and detected with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and ultrasonography (US. This kind of PBLL is similar to a peripheral nerve tumor in clinical and radiographic manifestation.

Full Text Available Embryologic and genetic evidence suggest a common origin of haematopoietic and endothelial lineages. In the murine embryo, recent studies indicate the presence of haemogenic endothelium and of a common haemato-endothelial precursor, the haemangioblast. Conversely, so far, little evidence supports the presence of haemogenic endothelium and haemangioblasts in later stages of development. Our studies indicate that human cord blood haematopoietic progenitors (CD34+45+144-, triggered by murine hepatocyte conditioned medium, differentiate into adherent proliferating endothelial precursors (CD144+CD105+CD146+CD31+CD45- capable of functioning as haemogenic endothelium. These cells, proven to give rise to functional vasculature in vivo, if further instructed by haematopoietic growth factors, first switch to transitional CD144+45+ cells and then to haematopoietic cells. These results highlight the plasticity of haemato-endhothelial precursors in human post-natal life. Furthermore, these studies may provide highly enriched populations of human post-fetal haemogenic endothelium, paving the way for innovative projects at a basic and possibly clinical level.

Previous studies have shown that zinc deficiency leads to apoptosis of neuronal precursorcells in vivo and in vitro. In addition to the role of p53 as a nuclear transcription factor in zinc deficient cultured human neuronal precursors (NT-2), we have now identified the translocation of phosphorylated p53 to the mitochondria and p53-dependent…

nanoparticles could be effective for stem cell differentiation in vitro. Materials & methods: We used a mouse embryonic stem cell line expressing green fluorescent protein under the promoter for the MN-specific gene Hb9 to visualize the level of MN differentiation. The differentiation of stem cells......Aim: Stem cell-derived motor neurons (MNs) are utilized to develop replacement strategies for spinal cord disorders. Differentiation of embryonic stem cells into MN precursors involves factors and their repeated administration. We investigated if delivery of factors loaded into mesoporous...... was evaluated by expression of MN-specific transcription factors monitored by quantitative real-time PCR reactions and immunocytochemistry. Results: Mesoporous nanoparticles have strong affiliation to the embryoid bodies, penetrate inside the embryoid bodies and come in contact with differentiating cells...

The discovery that humans can produce potent broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) to several different epitopes on the HIV-1 spike has reinvigorated efforts to develop an antibody-based HIV-1 vaccine. Antibody cloning from single cells revealed that nearly all bNAbs show unusual features that could help explain why it has not been possible to elicit them by traditional vaccination and instead would require a sequence of different immunogens. This idea is supported by experiments with genetically modified immunoglobulin (Ig) knock-in mice. Sequential immunization with a series of specifically designed immunogens was required to shepherd the development of bNAbs. However, knock-in mice contain superphysiologic numbers of bNAb precursor-expressing B cells, and therefore how these results can be translated to a more physiologic setting remains to be determined. Here we make use of adoptive transfer experiments using knock-in B cells that carry a synthetic intermediate in the pathway to anti-HIV-1 bNAb development to examine how the relationship between B cell receptor affinity and precursor frequency affects germinal center (GC) B cell recruitment and clonal expansion. Immunization with soluble HIV-1 antigens can recruit bNAb precursor B cells to the GC when there are as few as 10 such cells per mouse. However, at low precursor frequencies, the extent of clonal expansion is directly proportional to the affinity of the antigen for the B cell receptor, and recruitment to GCs is variable and dependent on recirculation.

Past work has shown that neural precursorcells are predisposed to redox sensitive changes, and that oxidative stress plays a critical role in the acute and persistent changes that occur within the irradiated CNS. Irradiation leads to a marked rise in reactive oxygen species (ROS) that correlates with oxidative endpoints in vivo and reductions in neuro-genesis. To better understand the impact of oxidative stress on neural precursorcells, and to determine if radiation-induced oxidative damage and precursorcell loss after irradiation could be reduced, a series of antioxidant compounds (EUK-134, EUK-163, EUK-172, EUK-189) were tested, three of which possess both superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities and one (EUK-163) whose only significant activity is SOD. Our results show that these SOD/catalase mimetics apparently increase the oxidation of a ROS-sensitive fluorescent indicator dye, particularly after short (12 h) treatments, but that longer treatments (24 h) decrease oxidation attributable to radiation-induced ROS. Similarly, other studies found that cells incubated with CuZnSOD showed some increase in intracellular ROS levels. Subsequent data suggested that the dye-oxidising capabilities of the EUK compounds were linked to differences in their catalase activity and, most likely, their ability to catalyse per-oxidative pathways. In unirradiated mice, the EUK-134 analogue induced some decrease of proliferating precursorcells and immature neurons 48 h after radiation, an effect that may be attributable to cytotoxicity and/or inhibition of precursor proliferation. In irradiated mice, a single injection of EUK-134 was not found to be an effective radioprotector at acute times (48 h). The present results support continued development of our in vitro model as a tool for predicting certain in vivo responses, and suggest that in some biological systems the capability to scavenge superoxide but produce excess H 2 O 2 , as is known for CuZnSOD, may be

Vessels are primarily formed from an inner endothelial layer that is secondarily covered by mural cells, namely vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in arteries and veins and pericytes in capillaries and veinules. We previously showed that, in the mouse embryo, Msx1(lacZ) and Msx2(lacZ) are expressed in mural cells and in a few endothelial cells. To unravel the role of Msx genes in vascular development, we have inactivated the two Msx genes specifically in mural cells by combining the Msx1(lacZ), Msx2(lox) and Sm22α-Cre alleles. Optical projection tomography demonstrated abnormal branching of the cephalic vessels in E11.5 mutant embryos. The carotid and vertebral arteries showed an increase in caliber that was related to reduced vascular smooth muscle coverage. Taking advantage of a newly constructed Msx1(CreERT2) allele, we demonstrated by lineage tracing that the primary defect lies in a population of VSMC precursors. The abnormal phenotype that ensues is a consequence of impaired BMP signaling in the VSMC precursors that leads to downregulation of the metalloprotease 2 (Mmp2) and Mmp9 genes, which are essential for cell migration and integration into the mural layer. Improper coverage by VSMCs secondarily leads to incomplete maturation of the endothelial layer. Our results demonstrate that both Msx1 and Msx2 are required for the recruitment of a population of neural crest-derived VSMCs.

The bacterial actin homolog MreB, which is crucial for rod shape determination, forms filaments that rotate around the cell width on the inner surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. What determines filament association with the membranes or with other cell wall elongation proteins is not known. Using specific chemical and genetic perturbations while following MreB filament motion, we find that MreB membrane association is an actively regulated process that depends on the presence of lipid-linked peptidoglycan precursors. When precursors are depleted, MreB filaments disassemble into the cytoplasm, and peptidoglycan synthesis becomes disorganized. In cells that lack wall teichoic acids but continue to make peptidoglycan, dynamic MreB filaments are observed, although their presence is not sufficient to establish a rod shape. We propose that the cell regulates MreB filament association with the membrane, allowing rapid and reversible inactivation of cell wall enzyme complexes in response to the inhibition of cell wall synthesis.

It is well known that physical inactivity leads to loss of muscle mass, but it also causes bone loss. Mechanistically, osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption have recently been shown to be regulated by vibration. However, the underlying mechanism behind the inhibition of osteoclast formation is yet unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether mechanical vibration of osteoclast precursorcells affects osteoclast formation by the involvement of fusion-related molecules such as dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein (DC-STAMP), and P2X7 receptor (P2X7R). RAW264.7 (a murine osteoclastic-like cell line) cells were treated with 20 ng/ml receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL). For 3 consecutive days, the cells were subjected to 1 hour of mechanical vibration with 20 µm displacement at a frequency of 4 Hz and compared to the control cells that were treated under the same condition but without the vibration. After 5 days of culture, osteoclast formation was determined. Gene expression of DC-STAMP and P2X7R by RAW264.7 cells were determined after 1 hour mechanical vibration, while protein production of the DC-STAMP was determined after 6 hours of post incubation after vibration. As a result, mechanical vibration of RAW264.7 cells inhibited the formation of osteoclasts. Vibration down-regulated DC-STAMP gene expression by 1.6-fold in the presence of RANKL and by 1.4-fold in the absence of RANKL. Additionally, DC-STAMP protein production was also down-regulated by 1.4-fold in the presence of RANKL and by 1.2-fold in the absence of RANKL in RAW264.7 cells in response to mechanical vibration. However, vibration did not affect P2X7R gene expression. Mouse anti-DC-STAMP antibody inhibited osteoclast formation in the absence of vibration. Our results suggest that mechanical vibration of osteoclast precursorcells reduce DC-STAMP expression in osteoclast precursorcells leading to the inhibition of osteoclast formation. PMID:23994170

Although granule cells continue to be added to the dentate gyrus of adult rats and tree shrews, this phenomenon has not been demonstrated in the dentate gyrus of adult primates. To determine whether neurons are produced in the dentate gyrus of adult primates, adult marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) were injected with BrdU and perfused 2 hr or 3 weeks later. BrdU is a thymidine analog that is incorporated into proliferating cells during S phase. A substantial number of cells in the dentate gyrus of adult monkeys incorporated BrdU and ≈80% of these cells had morphological characteristics of granule neurons and expressed a neuronal marker by the 3-week time point. Previous studies suggest that the proliferation of granule cellprecursors in the adult dentate gyrus can be inhibited by stress in rats and tree shrews. To test whether an aversive experience has a similar effect on cell proliferation in the primate brain, adult marmoset monkeys were exposed to a resident-intruder model of stress. After 1 hr in this condition, the intruder monkeys were injected with BrdU and perfused 2 hr later. The number of proliferating cells in the dentate gyrus of the intruder monkeys was compared with that of unstressed control monkeys. We found that a single exposure to this stressful experience resulted in a significant reduction in the number of these proliferating cells. Our results suggest that neurons are produced in the dentate gyrus of adult monkeys and that the rate of precursorcell proliferation can be affected by a stressful experience. PMID:9501234

Skeletal muscle has a remarkable capacity to regenerate after injury, although studies of muscle regeneration have heretofore been limited almost exclusively to limb musculature. Muscle precursorcells in skeletal muscle are responsible for the repair of damaged muscle. Heterogeneity exists in the growth and differentiation properties of muscle precursorcell (myoblast) populations throughout limb development but whether the muscle precursorcells differ among adult skeletal muscles is unknown. Such heterogeneity among myoblasts in the adult may give rise to skeletal muscles with different regenerative capacities. Here we compare the regenerative response of a masticatory muscle, the masseter, to that of limb muscles. After exogenous trauma (freeze or crush injuries), masseter muscle regenerated much less effectively than limb muscle. In limb muscle, normal architecture was restored 12 days after injury, whereas in masseter muscle, minimal regeneration occurred during the same time period. Indeed, at late time points, masseter muscles exhibited increased fibrous connective tissue in the region of damage, evidence of ineffective muscle regeneration. Similarly, in response to endogenous muscle injury due to a muscular dystrophy, widespread evidence of impaired regeneration was present in masseter muscle but not in limb muscle. To explore the cellular basis of these different regenerative capacities, we analyzed the myoblast populations of limb and masseter muscles both in vivo and in vitro. From in vivo analyses, the number of myoblasts in regenerating muscle was less in masseter compared with limb muscle. Assessment of population growth in vitro indicated that masseter myoblasts grow more slowly than limb myoblasts under identical conditions. We conclude that the impaired regeneration in masseter muscles is due to differences in the intrinsic myoblast populations compared to limb muscles.

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Patent ductus arteriosus is a life-threatening condition frequent in premature newborns but also present in some term infants. Current mouse models of this malformation generally lead to perinatal death, not reproducing the full phenotypic spectrum in humans, in whom genetic inheritance appears complex. The ductus arteriosus (DA, a temporary fetal vessel that bypasses the lungs by shunting the aortic arch to the pulmonary artery, is constituted by smooth muscle cells of distinct origins (SMC1 and SMC2 and many fewer melanocytes. To understand novel mechanisms preventing DA closure at birth, we evaluated the importance of cell fate specification in SMC that form the DA during embryonic development. Upon specific Tyr::Cre-driven activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling at the time of cell fate specification, melanocytes replaced the SMC2 population of the DA, suggesting that SMC2 and melanocytes have a common precursor. The number of SMC1 in the DA remained similar to that in controls, but insufficient to allow full DA closure at birth. Thus, there was no cellular compensation by SMC1 for the loss of SMC2. Mice in which only melanocytes were genetically ablated after specification from their potential common precursor with SMC2, demonstrated that differentiated melanocytes themselves do not affect DA closure. Loss of the SMC2 population, independent of the presence of melanocytes, is therefore a cause of patent ductus arteriosus and premature death in the first months of life. Our results indicate that patent ductus arteriosus can result from the insufficient differentiation, proliferation, or contractility of a specific smooth muscle subpopulation that shares a common neural crest precursor with cardiovascular melanocytes.

Background Patent ductus arteriosus is a life-threatening condition frequent in premature newborns but also present in some term infants. Current mouse models of this malformation generally lead to perinatal death, not reproducing the full phenotypic spectrum in humans, in whom genetic inheritance appears complex. The ductus arteriosus (DA), a temporary fetal vessel that bypasses the lungs by shunting the aortic arch to the pulmonary artery, is constituted by smooth muscle cells of distinct origins (SMC1 and SMC2) and many fewer melanocytes. To understand novel mechanisms preventing DA closure at birth, we evaluated the importance of cell fate specification in SMC that form the DA during embryonic development. Upon specific Tyr::Cre-driven activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling at the time of cell fate specification, melanocytes replaced the SMC2 population of the DA, suggesting that SMC2 and melanocytes have a common precursor. The number of SMC1 in the DA remained similar to that in controls, but insufficient to allow full DA closure at birth. Thus, there was no cellular compensation by SMC1 for the loss of SMC2. Mice in which only melanocytes were genetically ablated after specification from their potential common precursor with SMC2, demonstrated that differentiated melanocytes themselves do not affect DA closure. Loss of the SMC2 population, independent of the presence of melanocytes, is therefore a cause of patent ductus arteriosus and premature death in the first months of life. Our results indicate that patent ductus arteriosus can result from the insufficient differentiation, proliferation, or contractility of a specific smooth muscle subpopulation that shares a common neural crest precursor with cardiovascular melanocytes. PMID:23382837

In children, leukemia is the most common malignancy, and approximately 75% of leukemias are acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Central nervous system leukemia is found at diagnosis in fewer than 5% of children with ALL. Leukemic intracranial masses have been described with acute myeloid leukemia, but ALL presenting as a mass lesion is rare. We describe a unique case of an intracranial confirmed precursor B cell (pre-B) ALL mass in a 13-year-old girl that was diagnosed by brain CT, MRI and cerebral angiography, and confirmed by biopsy. This report details pertinent history and distinguishing imaging features of an intracranial ALL tumefaction. (orig.)

In children, leukemia is the most common malignancy, and approximately 75% of leukemias are acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Central nervous system leukemia is found at diagnosis in fewer than 5% of children with ALL. Leukemic intracranial masses have been described with acute myeloid leukemia, but ALL presenting as a mass lesion is rare. We describe a unique case of an intracranial confirmed precursor B cell (pre-B) ALL mass in a 13-year-old girl that was diagnosed by brain CT, MRI and cerebral angiography, and confirmed by biopsy. This report details pertinent history and distinguishing imaging features of an intracranial ALL tumefaction. (orig.)

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The existence of neural stem and progenitor cells (together termed neural precursorcells in the adult mammalian brain has sparked great interest in utilizing these cells for regenerative medicine strategies. Endogenous neural precursors within the adult forebrain subependyma can be activated following injury, resulting in their proliferation and migration toward lesion sites where they differentiate into neural cells. The administration of growth factors and immunomodulatory agents following injury augments this activation and has been shown to result in behavioural functional recovery following stroke. METHODS AND FINDINGS: With the goal of enhancing neural precursor migration to facilitate the repair process we report that externally applied direct current electric fields induce rapid and directed cathodal migration of pure populations of undifferentiated adult subependyma-derived neural precursors. Using time-lapse imaging microscopy in vitro we performed an extensive single-cell kinematic analysis demonstrating that this galvanotactic phenomenon is a feature of undifferentiated precursors, and not differentiated phenotypes. Moreover, we have shown that the migratory response of the neural precursors is a direct effect of the electric field and not due to chemotactic gradients. We also identified that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR signaling plays a role in the galvanotactic response as blocking EGFR significantly attenuates the migratory behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest direct current electric fields may be implemented in endogenous repair paradigms to promote migration and tissue repair following neurotrauma.

While a mother's excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy is known to have adverse effects on fetal neural development, little is known about the underlying mechanism of these effects. In order to investigate these mechanisms, we investigated the toxic effect of ethanol (ETOH) on neural stem/precursorcell (NSC) proliferation. In cultures of NSCs, phospholipase D (PLD) is activated following stimulation with epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2). Exposure of NSCs to ETOH suppresses cell proliferation, while it has no effect on cell death. Phosphatidic acid (PA), which is a signaling messenger produced by PLD, reverses ETOH inhibition of NSC proliferation. Blocking the PLD signal by 1-butanol suppresses the proliferation. ETOH-induced suppression of NSC proliferation and the protective effect of PA for ETOH-induced suppression are mediated through extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling. These results indicate that exposure to ETOH impairs NSC proliferation by altering the PLD signaling pathway

Highlights: • APP knockdown reduced proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells. • APP knockdown reduced expression of metalloproteinase and EMT-related genes. • APP overexpression promoted LNCaP cell migration. • APP overexpression increased expression of metalloproteinase and EMT-related genes. - Abstract: Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a type I transmembrane protein, and one of its processed forms, β-amyloid, is considered to play a central role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. We previously showed that APP is a primary androgen-responsive gene in prostate cancer and that its increased expression is correlated with poor prognosis for patients with prostate cancer. APP has also been implicated in several human malignancies. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying the pro-proliferative effects of APP on cancers is still not well-understood. In the present study, we explored a pathophysiological role for APP in prostate cancer cells using siRNA targeting APP (siAPP). The proliferation and migration of LNCaP and DU145 prostate cancer cells were significantly suppressed by siAPP. Differentially expressed genes in siAPP-treated cells compared to control siRNA-treated cells were identified by microarray analysis. Notably, several metalloproteinase genes, such as ADAM10 and ADAM17, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes, such as VIM, and SNAI2, were downregulated in siAPP-treated cells as compared to control cells. The expression of these genes was upregulated in LNCaP cells stably expressing APP when compared with control cells. APP-overexpressing LNCaP cells exhibited enhanced migration in comparison to control cells. These results suggest that APP may contribute to the proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells by modulating the expression of metalloproteinase and EMT-related genes.

Full Text Available Adult human cardiac mesenchymal-like stromal cells (CStC represent a relatively accessible cell type useful for therapy. In this light, their conversion into cardiovascular precursors represents a potential successful strategy for cardiac repair. The aim of the present work was to reprogram CStC into functionally competent cardiovascular precursors using epigenetically active small molecules. CStC were exposed to low serum (5% FBS in the presence of 5 µM all-trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA, 5 µM Phenyl Butyrate (PB, and 200 µM diethylenetriamine/nitric oxide (DETA/NO, to create a novel epigenetically active cocktail (EpiC. Upon treatment the expression of markers typical of cardiac resident stem cells such as c-Kit and MDR-1 were up-regulated, together with the expression of a number of cardiovascular-associated genes including KDR, GATA6, Nkx2.5, GATA4, HCN4, NaV1.5, and α-MHC. In addition, profiling analysis revealed that a significant number of microRNA involved in cardiomyocyte biology and cell differentiation/proliferation, including miR 133a, 210 and 34a, were up-regulated. Remarkably, almost 45% of EpiC-treated cells exhibited a TTX-sensitive sodium current and, to a lower extent in a few cells, also the pacemaker I(f current. Mechanistically, the exposure to EpiC treatment introduced global histone modifications, characterized by increased levels of H3K4Me3 and H4K16Ac, as well as reduced H4K20Me3 and H3s10P, a pattern compatible with reduced proliferation and chromatin relaxation. Consistently, ChIP experiments performed with H3K4me3 or H3s10P histone modifications revealed the presence of a specific EpiC-dependent pattern in c-Kit, MDR-1, and Nkx2.5 promoter regions, possibly contributing to their modified expression. Taken together, these data indicate that CStC may be epigenetically reprogrammed to acquire molecular and biological properties associated with competent cardiovascular precursors.

A rapid nuclear isolation technique was adapted in order to examine the question of DNA precursor compartmentation in mammalian cells. By using this method a reproducible proportion of the cellular nucleotides remained associated with the isolated nuclei. Examination, at several different cell densities, of exponentially growing HeLa cells showed that the nuclei contained a constant but distinct proportion of each dNTP. The nuclear dATP and dTTP concentrations were equal at all densities examined even though the dTTP pool was 150% of the dATP whole-cell pool. The nuclear portion of the whole-cell pools was roughly equal to the volume occupied by the nucleus. The nuclear-cytoplasmic dNTP pool distribution did not change throughout the cell cycle of synchronized Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The rates at which either radiolabeled cytidine or deoxycytidine equilibrated with the nuclear and whole-cell dCTP pools of G1 and S phase CHO cells were compared. Experiments comparing the labeling kinetics of 3 H-thymidine in G1, S phase, and exponentially growing cells revealed that the S phase dTTP pool equilibrated with exogenously added thymidine faster than the G1 phase pool. The rate of equilibration in exponentially growing cells appeared to be a combination of that seen in G1 and S phases. A linear rate of 3 H-thymidine incorporation into DNA occurred at the same rate in S phase and exponentially growing cells

Aging of neural stem cell, which can affect brain homeostasis, may be caused by many cellular mechanisms. Autophagy dysfunction was found in aged and neurodegenerative brains. However, little is known about the relationship between autophagy and human neural stem cell (hNSC) aging. The present study used 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to treat neural precursorcells (NPCs) derived from human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line H9 and investigate related molecular mechanisms involved in this process. MPTP-treated NPCs were found to undergo premature senescence [determined by increased senescence-associated-β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity, elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species level, and decreased proliferation] and were associated with impaired autophagy. Additionally, the cellular senescence phenotypes were manifested at the molecular level by a significant increase in p21 and p53 expression, a decrease in SOD2 expression, and a decrease in expression of some key autophagy-related genes such as Atg5, Atg7, Atg12, and Beclin 1. Furthermore, we found that the senescence-like phenotype of MPTP-treated hNPCs was rejuvenated through treatment with a well-known autophagy enhancer rapamycin, which was blocked by suppression of essential autophagy gene Beclin 1. Taken together, these findings reveal the critical role of autophagy in the process of hNSC aging, and this process can be reversed by activating autophagy. - Highlights: • We successfully establish hESC-derived neural precursorcells. • MPTP treatment induced senescence-like state in hESC-derived NPCs. • MPTP treatment induced impaired autophagy of hESC-derived NPCs. • MPTP-induced hESC-derived NPC senescence was rejuvenated by activating autophagy.

Esophageal cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer death worldwide; current early detection screening tests are inadequate. Esophageal balloon cytology successfully retrieves exfoliated and scraped superficial esophageal epithelial cells, but cytologic reading of these cells has poor sensitivity and specificity for detecting esophageal squamous dysplasia (ESD), the precursor lesion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Measuring telomere length, a marker for chromosomal instability, may improve the utility of balloon cytology for detecting ESD and early ESCC. We examined balloon cytology specimens from 89 asymptomatic cases of ESD (37 low-grade and 52 high-grade) and 92 age- and sex-matched normal controls from an esophageal cancer early detection screening study. All subjects also underwent endoscopy and biopsy, and ESD was diagnosed histopathologically. DNA was extracted from the balloon cytology cells, and telomere length was measured by quantitative PCR. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted for telomere length as a diagnostic marker for high-grade dysplasia. Telomere lengths were comparable among the low- and high-grade dysplasia cases and controls, with means of 0.96, 0.96, and 0.92, respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.55 for telomere length as a diagnostic marker for high-grade dysplasia. Further adjustment for subject characteristics, including sex, age, smoking, drinking, hypertension, and body mass index did not improve the use of telomere length as a marker for ESD. Telomere length of esophageal balloon cytology cells was not associated with ESCC precursor lesions. Therefore, telomere length shows little promise as an early detection marker for ESCC in esophageal balloon samples

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the course of adult hippocampal neurogenesis most regulation takes place during the phase of doublecortin (DCX expression, either as pro-proliferative effect on precursorcells or as survival-promoting effect on postmitotic cells. We here obtained quantitative data about the proliferative population and the dynamics of postmitotic dendrite development during the period of DCX expression. The question was, whether any indication could be obtained that the initiation of dendrite development is timely bound to the exit from the cell cycle. Alternatively, the temporal course of morphological maturation might be subject to additional regulatory events. Results We found that (1 20% of the DCX population were precursorcells in cell cycle, whereas more than 70% were postmitotic, (2 the time span until newborn cells had reached the most mature stage associated with DCX expression varied between 3 days and several weeks, (3 positive or negative regulation of precursorcell proliferation did not alter the pattern and dynamics of dendrite development. Dendrite maturation was largely independent of close contacts to astrocytes. Conclusion These data imply that dendrite maturation of immature neurons is initiated at varying times after cell cycle exit, is variable in duration, and is controlled independently of the regulation of precursorcell proliferation. We conclude that in addition to the major regulatory events in cell proliferation and selective survival, additional micro-regulatory events influence the course of adult hippocampal neurogenesis.

The development of scaffolds and templates is an essential aspect of tissue engineering. We show that thick (> 0.5 mm) vertically aligned carbon nanotube films, made by chemical vapour deposition, can be used as biocompatible substrates for the directional alignment of mouse muscle cells where the cells grow on the exposed sides of the films. Ultra high resolution scanning electron microscopy reveals that the films themselves consist mostly of small diameter (10 nm) multi-wall carbon nanotubes of wavy morphology with some single wall carbon nanotubes. Our findings show that for this alignment to occur the nanotubes must be in pristine condition. Mechanical wiping of the films to create directional alignment is detrimental to directional bioactivity. Larger areas for study have been formed from a composite of multiply stacked narrow strips of nanotubes wipe-transferred onto elastomer supports. These composite substrates appear to show a useful degree of alignment of the cells. Highlights: • Highly oriented muscle precursorcells grown on edges of carbon nanotube pads • Mechanical treatment of nanotube pads highly deleterious to cell growth on edges • Larger areas created from wipe-transfer of narrow strips of nanotubes onto elastomer supports • Very high resolution SEM reveals clues to aligned cell growth.

The development of scaffolds and templates is an essential aspect of tissue engineering. We show that thick (> 0.5 mm) vertically aligned carbon nanotube films, made by chemical vapour deposition, can be used as biocompatible substrates for the directional alignment of mouse muscle cells where the cells grow on the exposed sides of the films. Ultra high resolution scanning electron microscopy reveals that the films themselves consist mostly of small diameter (10 nm) multi-wall carbon nanotubes of wavy morphology with some single wall carbon nanotubes. Our findings show that for this alignment to occur the nanotubes must be in pristine condition. Mechanical wiping of the films to create directional alignment is detrimental to directional bioactivity. Larger areas for study have been formed from a composite of multiply stacked narrow strips of nanotubes wipe-transferred onto elastomer supports. These composite substrates appear to show a useful degree of alignment of the cells. Highlights: • Highly oriented muscle precursorcells grown on edges of carbon nanotube pads • Mechanical treatment of nanotube pads highly deleterious to cell growth on edges • Larger areas created from wipe-transfer of narrow strips of nanotubes onto elastomer supports • Very high resolution SEM reveals clues to aligned cell growth

Decidual cells are considered to be the endproduct of a hormonally induced transformation of endometrial stromal cells of the uterus. However, the source of these precursors remains unknown. This study of evaluated the possibility of their bone marrow origin by an examination of the H-2 phenotype of decidual cells in pseudopregnant bone marrow chimeras. These chimeras were produced by repopulating lethally irradiated CBA/J female (H-2k) mice with bone marrow from (CBA/J x C57BL/6J) F1 female (H-2kb) mice. Pseudopregnancy was produced with a hormonal regimen followed by an oil-induced decidual stimulus. Chimerism was evaluated radioautographically by an identification of the donor-specific Kb phenotype on cells with an immunolabeling technique with monospecific anti-H-2 serum followed by radioiodinated protein A. The extent of chimerism as indicated by the degree of Kb labeling on decidual cells as well as macrophages contained within the decidual nodules was quantitatively compared with that seen on splenic lymphocytes. Fair to good chimerism, as reflected by labeling for the donor-specific marker (Kb), was seen on splenic lymphocytes and macrophages within the decidual nodules in 6 out of 11 animals. A similar level of chimerism was detected on decidual cells in all but one of these six, in which case this was low. One animal showed low chimerism in the spleen but good chimerism on the decidual cells. The remaining four mice were nonchimeric for all three cell types. These results indicate that decidual cells and macrophages appearing within the decidual nodules of pseudopregnant mice are ultimate descendants of bone marrow cells

Tumor vasculature is irregular, abnormal, and essential for tumor growth. Pericytes and endothelial precursorcells (EPC) contribute to the formation of blood vessels under angiogenic conditions. As primary cells in culture, pericytes and EPC share many properties such as tube/network formation and response to kinase inhibitors selective for angiogenic pathways. Expression of cell surface proteins including platelet-derived growth factor receptor, vascular cell adhesion molecule, intercellular adhesion molecule, CD105, desmin, and neural growth proteoglycan 2 was similar between pericytes and EPC, whereas expression of P1H12 and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 clearly differentiates the cell types. Further distinction was observed in the molecular profiles for expression of angiogenic genes. Pericytes or EPC enhanced the invasion of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in a coculture assay system. The s.c. coinjection of live pericytes or EPC along with MDA-MB-231 cells resulted in an increased rate of tumor growth compared with coinjection of irradiated pericytes or EPC. Microvessel density analysis indicated there was no difference in MDA-MB-231 tumors with or without EPC or pericytes. However, immunohistochemical staining of vasculature suggested that EPC and pericytes may stabilize or normalize vasculature rather than initiate vasculogenesis. In addition, tumors arising from the coinjection of EPC and cancer cells were more likely to develop lymphatic vessels. These results support the notion that pericytes and EPC contribute to malignancy and that these cell types can be useful as cell-based models for tumor vascular development and selection of agents that may provide therapeutic benefit.

Open-cell structured porous titanium/ceramics composite was synthesized by a reactive precursor method using titanium and boron carbide (B 4 C) as reactant powders. Pore morphology was controlled by adding heat absorbing powder (titanium diboride: TiB 2 ) in the Ti+B 4 C blended powder. The effects of molar blending ratio of titanium and B 4 C and the amount of heat absorbing powder addition on the cell morphology (either open or closed) were investigated. Fine and homogeneous open-cell structure was achieved by adding appropriate amount of heat absorbing agent powder (>15 vol%), and the relative density of the specimen after the reaction became closer to that of the precursor by increasing TiB 2 volume fraction. When the volume fraction of TiB 2 addition was 20%, the open-cell fraction was maintained as 1.0 regardless of the relative density of the precursor.

The extraocular muscles (EOM) are spared from pathology in aging and many forms of muscular dystrophy. Despite many studies, this sparing remains an enigma. The EOM have a distinct embryonic lineage compared to somite-derived muscles, and we have shown that they continuously remodel throughout life, maintaining a population of activated satellite cells even in aging. These data suggested the hypothesis that there is a population of myogenic precursorcells (mpcs) in EOM that is different from those in limb, with either elevated numbers of stem cells and/or mpcs with superior proliferative capacity compared to mpcs in limb. Using flow cytometry, EOM and limb muscle mononuclear cells were compared, and a number of differences were seen. Using two different cell isolation methods, EOM have significantly more mpcs per mg muscle than limb skeletal muscle. One specific subpopulation significantly increased in EOM compared to limb was positive for CD34 and negative for Sca-1, M-cadherin, CD31, and CD45. We named these the EOMCD34 cells. Similar percentages of EOMCD34 cells were present in both newborn EOM and limb muscle. They were retained in aged EOM, whereas the population decreased significantly in adult limb muscle and were extremely scarce in aged limb muscle. Most importantly, the percentage of EOMCD34 cells was elevated in the EOM from both the mdx and the mdx/utrophin{sup -/-} (DKO) mouse models of DMD and extremely scarce in the limb muscles of these mice. In vitro, the EOMCD34 cells had myogenic potential, forming myotubes in differentiation media. After determining a media better able to induce proliferation in these cells, a fusion index was calculated. The cells isolated from EOM had a 40% higher fusion index compared to the same cells isolated from limb muscle. The EOMCD34 cells were resistant to both oxidative stress and mechanical injury. These data support our hypothesis that the EOM may be spared in aging and in muscular dystrophies due to a

The extraocular muscles (EOM) are spared from pathology in aging and many forms of muscular dystrophy. Despite many studies, this sparing remains an enigma. The EOM have a distinct embryonic lineage compared to somite-derived muscles, and we have shown that they continuously remodel throughout life, maintaining a population of activated satellite cells even in aging. These data suggested the hypothesis that there is a population of myogenic precursorcells (mpcs) in EOM that is different from those in limb, with either elevated numbers of stem cells and/or mpcs with superior proliferative capacity compared to mpcs in limb. Using flow cytometry, EOM and limb muscle mononuclear cells were compared, and a number of differences were seen. Using two different cell isolation methods, EOM have significantly more mpcs per mg muscle than limb skeletal muscle. One specific subpopulation significantly increased in EOM compared to limb was positive for CD34 and negative for Sca-1, M-cadherin, CD31, and CD45. We named these the EOMCD34 cells. Similar percentages of EOMCD34 cells were present in both newborn EOM and limb muscle. They were retained in aged EOM, whereas the population decreased significantly in adult limb muscle and were extremely scarce in aged limb muscle. Most importantly, the percentage of EOMCD34 cells was elevated in the EOM from both the mdx and the mdx/utrophin -/- (DKO) mouse models of DMD and extremely scarce in the limb muscles of these mice. In vitro, the EOMCD34 cells had myogenic potential, forming myotubes in differentiation media. After determining a media better able to induce proliferation in these cells, a fusion index was calculated. The cells isolated from EOM had a 40% higher fusion index compared to the same cells isolated from limb muscle. The EOMCD34 cells were resistant to both oxidative stress and mechanical injury. These data support our hypothesis that the EOM may be spared in aging and in muscular dystrophies due to a subpopulation of

Cells react to such an induced oxidative stress through scavenging the generated reactive oxygen species to reduce oxidative damage. Antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase are immediately triggered for reactive oxygen species. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a precursor of glutathione, is one of the antioxidants. The effect of NAC as an antioxidant and/or a cell rescue agent was investigated in the present study. Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant intracellular thiol, which involves in antioxidant defense via direct interaction with ROS or via activities of detoxication enzymes like glutathione peroxidases (GPx). NAC flowed in the cell is converted to cysteine by deacetylation, that is supplied to the depleted GSH by oxidative stress. NAC prevents the depletion of GSH by radiation, increases the production of GSH, and improves enzymes activity such as GPx and alkaline phosphatase. Cell growth and survivorship and transcriptional level of glutathione gene are analyzed in two yeast strains exposed to combined treatment of NAC with gamma-rays. The effect of NAC on cell growth was measured during 72 hours. The cell growth was hampered by higher concentrations of NAC at stationary phase. NAC, however, didn't affect the cell division at the exponential phase. The survival of the cells decreased with radiation dose. The cell viability of the strain W303-1A was reduced significantly at the low dose (10 and 30 Gy). By comparison, the strain W303-1A was more sensitive to radiation with having a half lethal dose (LD{sub 50}) of about 20 Gy. The quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that the transcriptional expression of antioxidant enzyme gene GPX1 increased after irradiation while the expression of the gene decreased by the combined treatment of NAC with 100 Gy radiation. The present study shows that NAC can directly scavenge ROS against oxidative stress in vivo. In conclusion, NAC can prevent radiation-induced oxidative

Cells react to such an induced oxidative stress through scavenging the generated reactive oxygen species to reduce oxidative damage. Antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase are immediately triggered for reactive oxygen species. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a precursor of glutathione, is one of the antioxidants. The effect of NAC as an antioxidant and/or a cell rescue agent was investigated in the present study. Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant intracellular thiol, which involves in antioxidant defense via direct interaction with ROS or via activities of detoxication enzymes like glutathione peroxidases (GPx). NAC flowed in the cell is converted to cysteine by deacetylation, that is supplied to the depleted GSH by oxidative stress. NAC prevents the depletion of GSH by radiation, increases the production of GSH, and improves enzymes activity such as GPx and alkaline phosphatase. Cell growth and survivorship and transcriptional level of glutathione gene are analyzed in two yeast strains exposed to combined treatment of NAC with gamma-rays. The effect of NAC on cell growth was measured during 72 hours. The cell growth was hampered by higher concentrations of NAC at stationary phase. NAC, however, didn't affect the cell division at the exponential phase. The survival of the cells decreased with radiation dose. The cell viability of the strain W303-1A was reduced significantly at the low dose (10 and 30 Gy). By comparison, the strain W303-1A was more sensitive to radiation with having a half lethal dose (LD 50 ) of about 20 Gy. The quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that the transcriptional expression of antioxidant enzyme gene GPX1 increased after irradiation while the expression of the gene decreased by the combined treatment of NAC with 100 Gy radiation. The present study shows that NAC can directly scavenge ROS against oxidative stress in vivo. In conclusion, NAC can prevent radiation-induced oxidative stress by

Recent studies have shown that simulated microgravity (SMG) results in altered proliferation and differentiation not only osteoblasts but also affects on osteogenic capacity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from various sources. For present study we used system that simulates effects of microgravity produced by the Random Positioning Machine (RPM). Cultured MCSs from human bone marrow and human osteoblasts (OBs) were exposed to SMG at RPM for 10-40 days. Induced osteogenesis of these progenitor cells was compared with the appropriate static (1g) and dynamic (horizontal shaker) controls. Clinorotated OBs and MSCs showed proliferation rate lower than static and dynamic control groups of cells in the early terms of SMG. Significant reduction of ALP activity was detected after 10 days of clinorotation of MSCs. There was no such dramatic difference in ALP activity of MSCs derived cells between SMG and control groups after 20 days of clinorotation but the expression of ALP was still reduced. However, virtually no matrix mineralization was found in OBs cultured under SMG conditions in the presence of differentiation stimuli. The similar effect was observed when we assayed matrix calcification of MSCs derived cultures. Thus, our results confirm low gravity mediated reduction of osteogenesis of different osteogenic precursors' cells and can clarify the mechanisms of bone loss during spaceflight.

Full Text Available Using a viral model of the demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis (MS, we show that intraspinal transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived neural precursorcells (hNPCs results in sustained clinical recovery, although hNPCs were not detectable beyond day 8 posttransplantation. Improved motor skills were associated with a reduction in neuroinflammation, decreased demyelination, and enhanced remyelination. Evidence indicates that the reduced neuroinflammation is correlated with an increased number of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs within the spinal cords. Coculture of hNPCs with activated T cells resulted in reduced T cell proliferation and increased Treg numbers. The hNPCs acted, in part, through secretion of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2. These findings indicate that the transient presence of hNPCs transplanted in an animal model of MS has powerful immunomodulatory effects and mediates recovery. Further investigation of the restorative effects of hNPC transplantation may aid in the development of clinically relevant MS treatments.

Full Text Available Transplantation of muscle precursorcells is of therapeutic interest for focal skeletal muscular diseases. However, major limitations of cell transplantation are the poor survival, expansion and migration of the injected cells. The massive and early death of transplanted myoblasts is not fully understood although several mechanisms have been suggested. Various attempts have been made to improve their survival or migration. Taking into account that muscle regeneration is associated with the presence of macrophages, which are helpful in repairing the muscle by both cleansing the debris and deliver trophic cues to myoblasts in a sequential way, we attempted in the present work to improve myoblast transplantation by coinjecting macrophages. The present data showed that in the 5 days following the transplantation, macrophages efficiently improved: i myoblast survival by limiting their massive death, ii myoblast expansion within the tissue and iii myoblast migration in the dystrophic muscle. This was confirmed by in vitro analyses showing that macrophages stimulated myoblast adhesion and migration. As a result, myoblast contribution to regenerating host myofibres was increased by macrophages one month after transplantation. Altogether, these data demonstrate that macrophages are beneficial during the early steps of myoblast transplantation into skeletal muscle, showing that coinjecting these stromal cells may be used as a helper to improve the efficiency of parenchymal cell engraftment.

The gag and env genes of the feline immunodeficiency virus strain UT113 were cloned into a baculovirus transfer vector. The recombinant plasmids were used to create recombinant baculoviruses that expressed either the gag or the env precursor protein in insect cells (Sf9 cells). Leader sequence

Full Text Available Hippocalcin (Hpca is a neuronal calcium sensor protein expressed in the mammalian brain. However, its function in neural stem/precursorcells has not yet been studied. Here, we clarify the function of Hpca in astrocytic differentiation in hippocampal neural precursorcells (HNPCs. When we overexpressed Hpca in HNPCs in the presence or absence of bFGF, expression levels of nerve-growth factors such as neurotrophin-3 (NT-3, neurotrophin-4/5 (NT-4/5 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, together with the proneural basic helix loop helix (bHLH transcription factors neuroD and neurogenin 1 (ngn1, increased significantly. In addition, there was an increase in the number of cells expressing glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP, an astrocyte marker, and in dendrite outgrowth, indicating astrocytic differentiation of the HNPCs. Downregulation of Hpca by transfection with Hpca siRNA reduced expression of NT-3, NT-4/5, BDNF, neuroD and ngn1 as well as levels of GFAP protein. Furthermore, overexpression of Hpca increased the phosphorylation of STAT3 (Ser727, and this effect was abolished by treatment with a STAT3 inhibitor (S3I-201, suggesting that STAT3 (Ser727 activation is involved in Hpca-mediated astrocytic differentiation. As expected, treatment with Stat3 siRNA or STAT3 inhibitor caused a complete inhibition of astrogliogenesis induced by Hpca overexpression. Taken together, this is the first report to show that Hpca, acting through Stat3, has an important role in the expression of neurotrophins and proneural bHLH transcription factors, and that it is an essential regulator of astrocytic differentiation and dendrite outgrowth in HNPCs.

Over 37 million people worldwide are living with Heart Failure (HF). Advancements in medical therapy have improved mortality primarily by slowing the progression of left ventricular dysfunction and debilitating symptoms. Ultimately, heart transplantation, durable mechanical circulatory support (MCS), or palliative care are the only options for patients with end-stage HF. Regenerative therapies offer an innovative approach, focused on reversing myocardial dysfunction and restoring healthy myocardial tissue. Initial clinical trials using autologous (self-donated) bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) demonstrated excellent safety, but only modest efficacy. Challenges with autologous stem cells include reduced quality and efficacy with increased patient age. The use of allogeneic mesenchymal precursorcells (MPCs) offers an "off the shelf" therapy, with consistent potency and less variability than autologous cells. Preclinical and initial clinical trials with allogeneic MPCs have been encouraging, providing the support for a large ongoing Phase III trial-DREAM-HF. We provide a comprehensive review of preclinical and clinical data supporting MPCs as a therapeutic option for HF patients. The current data suggest allogeneic MPCs are a promising therapy for HF patients. The results of DREAM-HF will determine whether allogeneic MPCs can decrease major adverse clinical events (MACE) in advanced HF patients.

Fibrosis is the dramatic consequence of a dysregulated reparative process in which activated fibroblasts (myofibroblasts) and Transforming Growth Factor β1 (TGFβ1) play a central role. When exposed to TGFβ1, fibroblast and epithelial cells differentiate in myofibroblasts; in addition, endothelial cells may undergo endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) and actively participate to the progression of fibrosis. Recently, the role of αv integrins, which recognize the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) tripeptide, in the release and signal transduction activation of TGFβ1 became evident. In this study, we present a class of triazole-derived RGD antagonists that interact with αvβ3 integrin. Above different compounds, the RGD-2 specifically interferes with integrin-dependent TGFβ1 EndoMT in Endothelial Colony-Forming Cells (ECPCs) derived from circulating Endothelial PrecursorCells (ECPCs). The RGD-2 decreases the amount of membrane-associated TGFβ1, and reduces both ALK5/TGFβ1 type I receptor expression and Smad2 phosphorylation in ECPCs. We found that RGD-2 antagonist reverts EndoMT, reducing α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and vimentin expression in differentiated ECPCs. Our results outline the critical role of integrin in fibrosis progression and account for the opportunity of using integrins as target for anti-fibrotic therapeutic treatment.

Mesenchymal stem cells and precursorcells are ideal candidates for tendon and ligament tissue engineering; however, for the stem cell-based approach to succeed, these cells would be required to proliferate and differentiate into tendon/ligament fibroblasts on the tissue engineering scaffold. Among the various fiber-based scaffolds that have been used in tendon/ligament tissue engineering, hybrid fibrous scaffolds comprising both microfibers and nanofibers have been recently shown to be particularly promising. With the nanofibrous coating presenting a biomimetic surface, the scaffolds can also potentially mimic the natural extracellular matrix in function by acting as a depot for sustained release of growth factors. In this study, we demonstrate that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) could be successfully incorporated, randomly dispersed within blend-electrospun nanofibers and released in a bioactive form over 1 week. The released bioactive bFGF activated tyrosine phosphorylation signaling within seeded BMSCs. The bFGF-releasing nanofibrous scaffolds facilitated BMSC proliferation, upregulated gene expression of tendon/ligament-specific ECM proteins, increased production and deposition of collagen and tenascin-C, reduced multipotency of the BMSCs and induced tendon/ligament-like fibroblastic differentiation, indicating their potential in tendon/ligament tissue engineering applications. 2009 International Society of Differentiation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

JAK2 abnormalities may serve as target for precision medicines in pediatric B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). In the current study we performed a screening for JAK2 mutations and translocations, analyzed the clinical outcome and studied the efficacy of two JAK inhibitors in primary BCP-ALL cells. Importantly, we identify a number of limitations of JAK inhibitor therapy. JAK2 mutations mainly occurred in the poor prognostic subtypes BCR-ABL1-like and non- BCR-ABL1-like B-other (negative for sentinel cytogenetic lesions). JAK2 translocations were restricted to BCR-ABL1-like cases. Momelotinib and ruxolitinib were cytotoxic in both JAK2 translocated and JAK2 mutated cells, although efficacy in JAK2 mutated cells highly depended on cytokine receptor activation by TSLP. However, our data also suggest that the effect of JAK inhibition may be compromised by mutations in alternative survival pathways and microenvironment-induced resistance. Furthermore, inhibitors induced accumulation of phosphorylated JAK2Y1007, which resulted in a profound re-activation of JAK2 signaling upon release of the inhibitors. This preclinical evidence implies that further optimization and evaluation of JAK inhibitor treatment is necessary prior to its clinical integration in pediatric BCP-ALL. PMID:29163799

Full Text Available Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs are a family of effectors that originate from a common innate lymphoid cell progenitor. However, the transcriptional program that sets the identity of the ILC lineage remains elusive. Here, we show that NFIL3 is a critical regulator of the common helper-like innate lymphoid cell progenitor (CHILP. Cell-intrinsic Nfil3 ablation led to variably impaired development of fetal and adult ILC subsets. Conditional gene targeting demonstrated that NFIL3 exerted its function prior to ILC subset commitment. Accordingly, NFIL3 ablation resulted in loss of ID2+ CHILP and PLZF+ ILC progenitors. Nfil3 expression in lymphoid progenitors was under the control of the mesenchyme-derived hematopoietin IL-7, and NFIL3 exerted its function via direct Id2 regulation in the CHILP. Moreover, ectopic Id2 expression in Nfil3-null precursors rescued defective ILC lineage development in vivo. Our data establish NFIL3 as a key regulator of common helper-like ILC progenitors as they emerge during early lymphopoiesis.

Full Text Available Oligodendrocyte precursorcells (OPCs are a unique type of glial cells that function as oligodendrocyte progenitors while constantly proliferating in the normal condition from rodents to humans. However, the functional roles they play in the adult brain are largely unknown. In this study, we focus on the manner of OPC proliferation in the hippocampus of the young adult mice. Here we report that there are oscillatory dynamics in OPC proliferation that differ from neurogenesis in the subgranular zone (SGZ; the former showed S-phase and M-phase peaks in the resting and active periods, respectively, while the latter only exhibited M-phase peak in the active period. There is coincidence between different modes of proliferation and expression of cyclin proteins that are crucial for cell cycle; cyclin D1 is expressed in OPCs, while cyclin D2 is observed in neural stem cells. Similar to neurogenesis, the proliferation of hippocampal OPCs was enhanced by voluntary exercise that leads to an increase in neuronal activity in the hippocampus. These data suggest an intriguing control of OPC proliferation in the hippocampus.

A new approach to improve the quality of MAPbI3 - x Cl x perovskite film was demonstrated. It involves annealing the precursor film after pumping away the solvent, which can decrease the influence of solvent evaporation rate for the growth of the MAPbI3 - x Cl x perovskite film. The resulting film showed improved morphology, stronger absorption, fewer crystal defects, and smaller charge transfer resistance. The corresponding device demonstrated enhanced performance when compared with a reference device. The averaged value of power conversion efficiency increased from 10.61 to 12.56 %, and a champion efficiency of 14.0 % was achieved. This work paves a new way to improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells.

concentrations of vitreous fluid supplementation was quantified by using a (3)H-thymidine incorporation assay. Active components of vitreous fluid were partially characterized by gel filtration chromatography (GFC) and UV spectral analysis. The effect of each vitreous fraction on proliferation was determined...... Da, consistent with ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid was confirmed in vitreous fluid by UV spectral analysis. Growth-augmenting activity was present in higher molecular mass vitreous fractions, consistent with protein components. Albumin, the major protein in vitreous fluid, was found to augment...... proliferation. Because vitreous-associated augmentation of retinal precursor proliferation remains an epidermal growth factor-dependent phenomenon, the proliferative status of transplanted cells in the vitreous cavity is likely determined by a combination of factors. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc....

Obesity and body fat distribution are important risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Evidence has accumulated that this risk is related to intrinsic differences in behavior of adipocytes in different fat depots. In the current study, we demonstrate...... that adipocyte precursorcells (APCs) isolated from visceral and subcutaneous white adipose depots of mice have distinct patterns of gene expression, differentiation potential, and response to environmental and genetic influences. APCs derived from subcutaneous fat differentiate well in the presence of classical...... induction cocktail, whereas those from visceral fat differentiate poorly but can be induced to differentiate by addition of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 or BMP-4. This difference correlates with major differences in gene expression signature between subcutaneous and visceral APCs. The number of APCs...

Mitotic spindle orientation with respect to cortical polarity cues generates molecularly distinct daughter cells during asymmetric cell division (ACD). However, during ACD it remains unknown how the orientation of the mitotic spindle is regulated by cortical polarity cues until furrowing begins. In ascidians, the cortical centrosome-attracting body (CAB) generates three successive unequal cleavages and the asymmetric segregation of 40 localized postplasmic/PEM RNAs in germ cellprecursors from the 8-64 cell stage. By combining fast 4D confocal fluorescence imaging with gene-silencing and classical blastomere isolation experiments, we show that spindle repositioning mechanisms are active from prometaphase until anaphase, when furrowing is initiated in B5.2 cells. We show that the vegetal-most spindle pole/centrosome is attracted towards the CAB during prometaphase, causing the spindle to position asymmetrically near the cortex. Next, during anaphase, the opposite spindle pole/centrosome is attracted towards the border with neighbouring B5.1 blastomeres, causing the spindle to rotate (10 degrees /minute) and migrate (3 microm/minute). Dynamic 4D fluorescence imaging of filamentous actin and plasma membrane shows that precise orientation of the cleavage furrow is determined by this second phase of rotational spindle displacement. Furthermore, in pairs of isolated B5.2 blastomeres, the second phase of rotational spindle displacement was lost. Finally, knockdown of PEM1, a protein localized in the CAB and required for unequal cleavage in B5.2 cells, completely randomizes spindle orientation. Together these data show that two separate mechanisms active during mitosis are responsible for spindle positioning, leading to precise orientation of the cleavage furrow during ACD in the cells that give rise to the germ lineage in ascidians.

Angiogenesis occurs during normal physiologic processes as well as under pathologic conditions such as tumor growth. Serial analysis of gene expression profiling revealed genes [tumor endothelial markers (TEM)] that are overexpressed in tumor endothelial cells compared with normal adult endothelial cells. Because blood vessel development of malignant tumors under certain conditions may include endothelial precursorcells (EPC) recruited from bone marrow, we investigated TEM expression in EPC. The expression of TEM1 or endosialin (CD248) and other TEM has been discovered in a population of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2+/CD31+/CD45-/VE-cadherin+ EPC derived from human CD133+/CD34+ cells. EPC share some properties with fully differentiated endothelial cells from normal tissue, yet reverse transcription-PCR and flow cytometry reveal that EPC express higher levels of endosialin at the molecular and protein levels. The elevated expression of endosialin in EPC versus mature endothelial cells suggests that endosialin is involved in the earlier stages of tumor angiogenesis. Anti-endosialin antibodies inhibited EPC migration and tube formation in vitro. In vivo, immunohistochemistry indicated that human EPC continued to express endosialin protein in a Matrigel plug angiogenesis assay established in nude mice. Anti-endosialin antibodies delivered systemically at 25 mg/kg were also able to inhibit circulating murine EPC in nude mice bearing s.c. SKNAS tumors. EPC and bone marrow-derived cells have been shown previously to incorporate into malignant blood vessels in some instances, yet they remain controversial in the field. The data presented here on endothelial genes that are up-regulated in tumor vasculature and in EPC support the hypothesis that the angiogenesis process in cancer can involve EPC.

Highlights: •GDNF has no effect on ADP proliferation and apoptosis. •GDNF increases ADP differentiation into astrocyte. •A specific inhibitor of STAT3 decreases the astrogliogenic effect of GDNF. •STAT3 knockdown by lentiviral shRNA vector also decreases the astrogliogenic effect of GDNF. •GDNF increases the phosphorylation of STAT3. -- Abstract: While the pro-neurogenic actions of antidepressants in the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) are thought to be one of the mechanisms through which antidepressants exert their therapeutic actions, antidepressants do not increase proliferation of neural precursorcells derived from the adult DG. Because previous studies showed that antidepressants increase the expression and secretion of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in C6 glioma cells derived from rat astrocytes and GDNF increases neurogenesis in adult DG in vivo, we investigated the effects of GDNF on the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of cultured neural precursorcells derived from the adult DG. Data showed that GDNF facilitated the differentiation of neural precursorcells into astrocytes but had no effect on their proliferation or apoptosis. Moreover, GDNF increased the phosphorylation of STAT3, and both a specific inhibitor of STAT3 and lentiviral shRNA for STAT3 decreased their differentiation into astrocytes. Taken together, our findings suggest that GDNF facilitates astrogliogenesis from neural precursorcells in adult DG through activating STAT3 and that this action might indirectly affect neurogenesis.

Highlights: •GDNF has no effect on ADP proliferation and apoptosis. •GDNF increases ADP differentiation into astrocyte. •A specific inhibitor of STAT3 decreases the astrogliogenic effect of GDNF. •STAT3 knockdown by lentiviral shRNA vector also decreases the astrogliogenic effect of GDNF. •GDNF increases the phosphorylation of STAT3. -- Abstract: While the pro-neurogenic actions of antidepressants in the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) are thought to be one of the mechanisms through which antidepressants exert their therapeutic actions, antidepressants do not increase proliferation of neural precursorcells derived from the adult DG. Because previous studies showed that antidepressants increase the expression and secretion of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in C6 glioma cells derived from rat astrocytes and GDNF increases neurogenesis in adult DG in vivo, we investigated the effects of GDNF on the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of cultured neural precursorcells derived from the adult DG. Data showed that GDNF facilitated the differentiation of neural precursorcells into astrocytes but had no effect on their proliferation or apoptosis. Moreover, GDNF increased the phosphorylation of STAT3, and both a specific inhibitor of STAT3 and lentiviral shRNA for STAT3 decreased their differentiation into astrocytes. Taken together, our findings suggest that GDNF facilitates astrogliogenesis from neural precursorcells in adult DG through activating STAT3 and that this action might indirectly affect neurogenesis

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Phenylketonuria (PKU is a rare inborn error of metabolism often complicated by a progressive bone impairment of uncertain etiology, as documented by both ionizing and non- ionizing techniques. METHODOLOGY: Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC cultures were performed to study osteoclastogenesis, in the presence or absence of recombinant human monocyte-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF and receptor activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL. Flow cytometry was utilized to analyze osteoclast precursors (OCPs and T cell phenotype. Tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α, RANKL and osteoprotegerin (OPG were quantified in cell culture supernatants by ELISA. The effects of RANKFc and anti-TNF-α antibodies were also investigated to determine their ability to inhibit osteoclastogenesis. In addition, bone conditions and phenylalanine levels in PKU patients were clinically evaluated. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Several in vitro studies in PKU patients' cells identified a potential mechanism of bone formation inhibition commonly associated with this disorder. First, PKU patients disclosed an increased osteoclastogenesis compared to healthy controls, both in unstimulated and M-CSF/RANKL stimulated PBMC cultures. OCPs and the measured RANKL/OPG ratio were higher in PKU patients compared to healthy controls. The addition of specific antagonist RANKFc caused osteoclastogenesis inhibition, whereas anti-TNF-α failed to have this effect. Among PBMCs isolated from PKU patients, activated T cells, expressing CD69, CD25 and RANKL were identified. Confirmatory in vivo studies support this proposed model. These in vivo studies included the analysis of osteoclastogenesis in PKU patients, which demonstrated an inverse relation to bone condition assessed by phalangeal Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS. This was also directly related to non-compliance to therapeutic diet reflected by hyperphenylalaninemia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that PKU spontaneous osteoclastogenesis

In the majority of studies using primary cultures of myoblasts, the cells are maintained at ambient oxygen tension (21% O2), despite the fact that physiological O2 at the tissue level in vivo is much lower (~1-5% O2). We hypothesized that the cellular response in presence of high oxygen concentration might be particularly important in studies comparing energetic function or oxidative stress in cells isolated from young versus old animals. To test this, we asked whether oxygen tension plays a role in mitochondrial bioenergetics (oxygen consumption, glycolysis and fatty acid oxidation) or oxidative damage to proteins (protein disulfides, carbonyls and aggregates) in myoblast precursorcells (MPCs) isolated from young (3-4 m) and old (29-30 m) C57BL/6 mice. MPCs were grown under physiological (3%) or ambient (21%) O2 for two weeks prior to exposure to an acute oxidative insult (H2O2). Our results show significantly higher basal mitochondrial respiration in young versus old MPCs, an increase in basal respiration in young MPCs maintained at 3% O2 compared to cells maintained at 21% O2, and a shift toward glycolytic metabolism in old MPCs grown at 21% O2. H2O2 treatment significantly reduced respiration in old MPCs grown at 3% O2 but did not further repress respiration at 21% O2 in old MPCs. Oxidative damage to protein was higher in cells maintained at 21% O2 and increased in response to H2O2 in old MPCs. These data underscore the importance of understanding the effect of ambient oxygen tension in cell culture studies, in particular studies measuring oxidative damage and mitochondrial function.

Full Text Available Abstract Background While the diversity and spatio-temporal origin of olfactory bulb (OB GABAergic interneurons has been studied in detail, much less is known about the subtypes of glutamatergic OB interneurons. Results We studied the temporal generation and diversity of Neurog2-positive precursor progeny using an inducible genetic fate mapping approach. We show that all subtypes of glutamatergic neurons derive from Neurog2 positive progenitors during development of the OB. Projection neurons, that is, mitral and tufted cells, are produced at early embryonic stages, while a heterogeneous population of glutamatergic juxtaglomerular neurons are generated at later embryonic as well as at perinatal stages. While most juxtaglomerular neurons express the T-Box protein Tbr2, those generated later also express Tbr1. Based on morphological features, these juxtaglomerular cells can be identified as tufted interneurons and short axon cells, respectively. Finally, targeted electroporation experiments provide evidence that while the majority of OB glutamatergic neurons are generated from intrabulbar progenitors, a small portion of them originate from extrabulbar regions at perinatal ages. Conclusions We provide the first comprehensive analysis of the temporal and spatial generation of OB glutamatergic neurons and identify distinct populations of juxtaglomerular interneurons that differ in their antigenic properties and time of origin.

Full Text Available The pigment cells of vertebrates serve a variety of functions and generate a stunning variety of patterns. These cells are also implicated in human pathologies including melanoma. Whereas the events of pigment cell development have been studied extensively in the embryo, much less is known about morphogenesis and differentiation of these cells during post-embryonic stages. Previous studies of zebrafish revealed genetically distinct populations of embryonic and adult melanophores, the ectotherm homologue of amniote melanocytes. Here, we use molecular markers, vital labeling, time-lapse imaging, mutational analyses, and transgenesis to identify peripheral nerves as a niche for precursors to adult melanophores that subsequently migrate to the skin to form the adult pigment pattern. We further identify genetic requirements for establishing, maintaining, and recruiting precursors to the adult melanophore lineage and demonstrate novel compensatory behaviors during pattern regulation in mutant backgrounds. Finally, we show that distinct populations of latent precursors having differential regenerative capabilities persist into the adult. These findings provide a foundation for future studies of post-embryonic pigment cellprecursors in development, evolution, and neoplasia.

Full Text Available Abstract Background The presence of highly conserved sequences within cis-regulatory regions can serve as a valuable starting point for elucidating the basis of enhancer function. This study focuses on regulation of gene expression during the early events of Drosophila neural development. We describe the use of EvoPrinter and cis-Decoder, a suite of interrelated phylogenetic footprinting and alignment programs, to characterize highly conserved sequences that are shared among co-regulating enhancers. Results Analysis of in vivo characterized enhancers that drive neural precursor gene expression has revealed that they contain clusters of highly conserved sequence blocks (CSBs made up of shorter shared sequence elements which are present in different combinations and orientations within the different co-regulating enhancers; these elements contain either known consensus transcription factor binding sites or consist of novel sequences that have not been functionally characterized. The CSBs of co-regulated enhancers share a large number of sequence elements, suggesting that a diverse repertoire of transcription factors may interact in a highly combinatorial fashion to coordinately regulate gene expression. We have used information gained from our comparative analysis to discover an enhancer that directs expression of the nervy gene in neural precursorcells of the CNS and PNS. Conclusion The combined use EvoPrinter and cis-Decoder has yielded important insights into the combinatorial appearance of fundamental sequence elements required for neural enhancer function. Each of the 30 enhancers examined conformed to a pattern of highly conserved blocks of sequences containing shared constituent elements. These data establish a basis for further analysis and understanding of neural enhancer function.

Full Text Available The demonstration of the presence of dividing primitive cells in damaged hearts has sparked increased interest about myocardium regenerative processes. We examined the rate and the differentiation of in vitro cultured resident cardiac primitive cells obtained from pathological and normal human hearts in order to evaluate the activation of progenitors and precursors of cardiac cell lineages in post-ischemic human hearts. The precursors and progenitors of cardiomyocyte, smooth muscle and endothelial lineage were identified by immunocytochemistry and the expression of characteristic markers was studied by western blot and RT-PCR. The amount of proteins characteristic for cardiac cells (a-SA and MHC, VEGFR-2 and FVIII, SMA for the precursors of cardiomyocytes, endothelial and smooth muscle cells, respectively inclines toward an increase in both a-SA and MHC. The increased levels of FVIII and VEGFR2 are statistically significant, suggesting an important re-activation of neoangiogenesis. At the same time, the augmented expression of mRNA for Nkx 2.5, the trascriptional factor for cardiomyocyte differentiation, confirms the persistence of differentiative processes in terminally injured hearts. Our study would appear to confirm the activation of human heart regeneration potential in pathological conditions and the ability of its primitive cells to maintain their proliferative capability in vitro. The cardiac cell isolation method we used could be useful in the future for studying modifications to the microenvironment that positively influence cardiac primitive cell differentiation or inhibit, or retard, the pathological remodeling and functional degradation of the heart.

Full Text Available After an ischemic stroke, neural precursorcells (NPCs proliferate within major germinal niches of the brain. Endogenous NPCs subsequently migrate towards the ischemic lesion where they promote tissue remodelling and neural repair. Unfortunately, this restorative process is generally insufficient and thus unable to support a full recovery of lost neurological functions. Supported by solid experimental and preclinical data, the transplantation of exogenous NPCs has emerged as a potential tool for stroke treatment. Transplanted NPCs are thought to act mainly via trophic and immune modulatory effects, thereby complementing the restorative responses initially executed by the endogenous NPC population. Recent studies have attempted to elucidate how the therapeutic properties of transplanted NPCs vary depending on the route of transplantation. Systemic NPC delivery leads to potent immune modulatory actions, which prevent secondary neuronal degeneration, reduces glial scar formation, diminishes oxidative stress and stabilizes blood-brain barrier integrity. On the contrary, local stem cell delivery, allows for the accumulation of large numbers of transplanted NPCs in the brain, thus achieving high levels of locally available tissue trophic factors, which may better induce a strong endogenous NPC proliferative response.Herein we describe the diverse capabilities of exogenous (systemically vs locally transplanted NPCs in enhancing the endogenous neurogenic response after stroke, and how the route of transplantation may affect migration, survival, bystander effects and integration of the cellular graft. It is the authors’ claim that understanding these aspects will be of pivotal importance in discerning how transplanted NPCs exert their therapeutic effects in stroke.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a neoplasia of thymocytes characterized by the rapid accumulation of the precursors of T lymphocytes. HMGA2 (high-mobility group AT-hook 2) gene expression is extremely low in normal adult tissues, but it is overexpressed in many tumors. To identify the biological function of HMGA2, we generated transgenic mice carrying the human HMGA2 gene under control of the V H promoter/Eμ enhancer. Approximately 90% of Eμ-HMGA2 transgenic mice became visibly sick between 4 and 8 months due to the onset and progression of a T-ALL-like disease. Characteristic features included severe alopecia (30% of mice); enlarged lymph nodes and spleen; and profound immunological abnormalities (altered cytokine levels, hypoimmunoglobulinemia) leading to reduced immune responsiveness. Immunophenotyping showed accumulation of CD5+CD4+, CD5+CD8+ or CD5+CD8+CD4+ T-cell populations in the spleens and bone marrow of sick animals. These findings show that HMGA2-driven leukemia in mice closely resembles spontaneous human T-ALL, indicating that HMGA2 transgenic mice should serve as an important model for investigating basic mechanisms and potential new therapies of relevance to human T-ALL

Full Text Available Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV1 replicates in epithelial cells and secondarily enters local sensory neuronal processes, traveling retrograde to the neuronal nucleus to enter latency. Upon reawakening newly synthesized viral particles travel anterograde back to the epithelial cells of the lip, causing the recurrent cold sore. HSV1 co-purifies with amyloid precursor protein (APP, a cellular transmembrane glycoprotein and receptor for anterograde transport machinery that when proteolyzed produces A-beta, the major component of senile plaques. Here we focus on transport inside epithelial cells of newly synthesized virus during its transit to the cell surface. We hypothesize that HSV1 recruits cellular APP during transport. We explore this with quantitative immuno-fluorescence, immuno-gold electron-microscopy and live cell confocal imaging. After synchronous infection most nascent VP26-GFP-labeled viral particles in the cytoplasm co-localize with APP (72.8+/-6.7% and travel together with APP inside living cells (81.1+/-28.9%. This interaction has functional consequences: HSV1 infection decreases the average velocity of APP particles (from 1.1+/-0.2 to 0.3+/-0.1 µm/s and results in APP mal-distribution in infected cells, while interplay with APP-particles increases the frequency (from 10% to 81% motile and velocity (from 0.3+/-0.1 to 0.4+/-0.1 µm/s of VP26-GFP transport. In cells infected with HSV1 lacking the viral Fc receptor, gE, an envelope glycoprotein also involved in viral axonal transport, APP-capsid interactions are preserved while the distribution and dynamics of dual-label particles differ from wild-type by both immuno-fluorescence and live imaging. Knock-down of APP with siRNA eliminates APP staining, confirming specificity. Our results indicate that most intracellular HSV1 particles undergo frequent dynamic interplay with APP in a manner that facilitates viral transport and interferes with normal APP transport and distribution. Such dynamic

Full Text Available Dysfunctional skeletal muscle calcium homeostasis plays a central role in the pathophysiology of several human and animal skeletal muscle disorders, in particular, genetic disorders associated with ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1 mutations, such as malignant hyperthermia, central core disease, multiminicore disease and certain centronuclear myopathies. In addition, aberrant skeletal muscle calcium handling is believed to play a pivotal role in the highly prevalent disorder of Thoroughbred racehorses, known as Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis. Traditionally, such defects were studied in human and equine subjects by examining the contractile responses of biopsied muscle strips exposed to caffeine, a potent RYR1 agonist. However, this test is not widely available and, due to its invasive nature, is potentially less suitable for valuable animals in training or in the human paediatric setting. Furthermore, increasingly, RYR1 gene polymorphisms (of unknown pathogenicity and significance are being identified through next generation sequencing projects. Consequently, we have investigated a less invasive test that can be used to study calcium homeostasis in cultured, skin-derived fibroblasts that are converted to the muscle lineage by viral transduction with a MyoD (myogenic differentiation 1 transgene. Similar models have been utilised to examine calcium homeostasis in human patient cells, however, to date, there has been no detailed assessment of the cells' calcium homeostasis, and in particular, the responses to agonists and antagonists of RYR1. Here we describe experiments conducted to assess calcium handling of the cells and examine responses to treatment with dantrolene, a drug commonly used for prophylaxis of recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis in horses and malignant hyperthermia in humans.

Adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), the ideal system for regenerative research, were isolated at single cell levels decades ago, whereas studies on embryonic HSCs are much more difficult. Zhou et al identified a new pre-HSC cell surface marker, CD201, by which they isolated pre-HSCs at single cell levels for further analyses. The novel expression pattern of HSC development is revealed, including the fundamental role of mammalian targets of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in HSCs emergence, and the repopulation potential of S/G2/M phase pre-HSCs. Deeper understandings of the cellular origin and developmental regulatory network of HSCs are essential to develop new strategies of generating HSCs in vitro for clinical application.

Full Text Available Mast cells (MCs are a versatile cell type playing key roles in tissue morphogenesis and host defence against bacteria and parasites. Furthermore, they can enhance immunological danger signals and are implicated in inflammatory disorders like fibrosis. This granulated cell type originates from the myeloid lineage and has similarities to basophilic granulocytes, both containing large quantities of histamine and heparin. Immature murine mast cells mature in their destination tissue and adopt either the connective tissue (CTMC or mucosal (MMC type. Some effector functions are executed by activation/degranulation of MCs which lead to secretion of a typical set of MC proteases (MCPT and of the preformed or newly synthesized mediators from its granules into the local microenvironment. Due to the potential accumulation of mutations in key signalling pathway components of corresponding MC cell-lines, primary cultured MCs are an attractive mean to study general features of MC biology and aspects of MC functions relevant to human disease. Here, we describe a simple protocol for the simultaneous isolation of mature CTMC-like murine MCs from the peritoneum (PMCs and immature MC precursors from the bone marrow (BM. The latter are differentiated in vitro to yield BM-derived MCs (BMMC. These cells display the typical morphological and phenotypic features of MCs, express the typical MC surface markers, and can be propagated and kept in culture for several weeks. The provided protocol allows simple amplification of large quantities of homogenous, non-transformed MCs from the peritoneum and bone marrow-derived mast cells for cell- and tissue-based biomedical research.

Human fetuses are generally thought to be highly sensitive to radiation exposure since diagnostic, low-dose X rays (5-50 mSv) have been suggested to increase the risk of childhood leukemia by about 50%. In contrast, animal studies generally did not demonstrate a high radiosensitivity of fetuses and the underlying causes for the discrepancy are not understood. Here, we examined atomic-bomb survivors exposed in utero for translocation frequency in blood lymphocytes at 40 years of age. Contrary to our expectation of higher radiosensitivity in fetuses than in adults, the frequency did not increase with dose except for a small, but statistically significant increase (<1%) at doses below 0.1 Sv. Although an upward convex, humped dose response has been observed in other instances, the peak usually lies at doses above a few Gy, and few examples are known showing the peak response at such low doses. We interpret the results as indicating that fetal lymphoid and/or their precursorcells are sensitive to elimination through apoptosis when damaged. Our results provide a biological basis to resolve the long-standing controversy that substantial risk of childhood leukemia is implicated in human fetuses exposed to low-dose diagnostic X rays whereas animal studies composed mainly of exposures to higher doses consistently fail to confirm it

A limit-dilution microculture system is described, where almost all precursor T cells of the cytotoxic lineage (CTL-p) develop into extended clones of cytotoxic T cells (CTL), which are then detected with a new radio-autographic 111 In-release assay. The principle is to polyclonally activate all T cells with concanavalin A, to expand the resultant clones over an 8-9 day period in cultures saturated with growth factors, then to detect all clones with cytotoxic function by phytohaemagglutinin mediated lysis of P815 tumour cells. The key variables for obtaining high cloning efficiency are the use of flat-bottomed 96-well culture trays, the use of appropriately irradiated spleen filler cells, and the inclusion of a T-cell growth factor supplement. Cultures are set up at input levels of around one T cell per well. Forty percent of T cells then form CTL clones readily detected by the cytotoxic assay. The lytic activity of the average clone is equivalent to 3000 CTL, but clone size appears to be much larger. The precursorcells are predominantly if not entirely from the Lyt 2 + T-cell subclass and almost all cells of this subclass form cytolytic clones. Analysis of the frequency of positive cultures shows a good fit to the expected Poisson distribution, with no evidence of the CTL-p frequency estimates being distorted by helper or suppressor effects. (Auth.)

A limit-dilution microculture system is described, where almost all precursor T cells of the cytotoxic lineage (CTL-p) develop into extended clones of cytotoxic T cells (CTL), which are then detected with a new radio-autographic /sup 111/In-release assay. The principle is to polyclonally activate all T cells with concanavalin A, to expand the resultant clones over an 8-9 day period in cultures saturated with growth factors, then to detect all clones with cytotoxic function by phytohaemagglutinin mediated lysis of P815 tumour cells. The key variables for obtaining high cloning efficiency are the use of flat-bottomed 96-well culture trays, the use of appropriately irradiated spleen filler cells, and the inclusion of a T-cell growth factor supplement. Cultures are set up at input levels of around one T cell per well. Forty percent of T cells then form CTL clones readily detected by the cytotoxic assay. The lytic activity of the average clone is equivalent to 3000 CTL, but clone size appears to be much larger. The precursorcells are predominantly if not entirely from the Lyt 2/sup +/ T-cell subclass and almost all cells of this subclass form cytolytic clones. Analysis of the frequency of positive cultures shows a good fit to the expected Poisson distribution, with no evidence of the CTL-p frequency estimates being distorted by helper or suppressor effects.

Full Text Available The use of adult myogenic stem cells as a cell therapy for skeletal muscle regeneration has been attempted for decades, with only moderate success. Myogenic progenitors (MP made from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs are promising candidates for stem cell therapy to regenerate skeletal muscle since they allow allogenic transplantation, can be produced in large quantities, and, as compared to adult myoblasts, present more embryonic-like features and more proliferative capacity in vitro, which indicates a potential for more self-renewal and regenerative capacity in vivo. Different approaches have been described to make myogenic progenitors either by gene overexpression or by directed differentiation through culture conditions, and several myopathies have already been modeled using iPSC-MP. However, even though results in animal models have shown improvement from previous work with isolated adult myoblasts, major challenges regarding host response have to be addressed and clinically relevant transplantation protocols are lacking. Despite these challenges we are closer than we think to bringing iPSC-MP towards clinical use for treating human muscle disease and sporting injuries.

The continued retrieval of progenitor cells (CFU-GEMM, BFU-E, CFU-E, CFU-GM) from human long-term marrow cultures (LTMC) is not uncommonly used as evidence that proliferation and differentiation are occurring in more primitive hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in these cultures. Alternatively, the continued presence of progenitors in LTMC could be the result of survival and/or limited self-renewal of progenitor cells present when the culture was initiated, and such progenitors would have little relevance to the parent HSC. The following studies were designed to determine the relative contributions of precursors of progenitor cells to the total progenitor cells present in LTMC using a two-stage regeneration model. The adherent layer in LTMC was established over 3 weeks, irradiated (875 rad) to permanently eliminate resident hematopoietic cells, and recharged with autologous cryo-preserved marrow that was either treated or not treated (control) with 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC, 100 micrograms/ml for 30 min). The 4-HC-treated marrow contained no progenitor cells, yet based on clinical autologous bone marrow transplant experience, has intact HSC. Within 1-3 weeks, progenitor cells reappeared in the irradiated LTMC recharged with 4-HC-treated marrow, and were preferentially located in the adherent layer. By 2-6 weeks, the number of progenitor cells in the adherent layer of LTMC recharged with 4-HC marrow was equivalent to control LTMC. The progenitors regenerating in the irradiated LTMC recharged with 4-HC-treated marrow appear to originate from precursors of progenitor cells, perhaps HSC. We propose this model may be useful in elucidating cellular and molecular correlates of progenitor cell regeneration from precursors

Background Gain-of-function of erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) mutations represent the major cause of primary hereditary polycythemia. EPOR is also found in non-erythroid tissues, although its physiological role is still undefined. Methodology/Principal Findings We describe a family with polycythemia due to a heterozygous mutation of the EPOR gene that causes a G→T change at nucleotide 1251 of exon 8. The novel EPOR G1251T mutation results in the replacement of a glutamate residue by a stop codon at amino acid 393. Differently from polycythemia vera, EPOR G1251T CD34+ cells proliferate and differentiate towards the erythroid phenotype in the presence of minimal amounts of EPO. Moreover, the affected individuals show a 20-fold increase of circulating endothelial precursors. The analysis of erythroid precursor membranes demonstrates a heretofore undescribed accumulation of the truncated EPOR, probably due to the absence of residues involved in the EPO-dependent receptor internalization and degradation. Mutated receptor expression in EPOR-negative cells results in EPOR and Stat5 phosphorylation. Moreover, patient erythroid precursors present an increased activation of EPOR and its effectors, including Stat5 and Erk1/2 pathway. Conclusions/Significance Our data provide an unanticipated mechanism for autosomal dominant inherited polycythemia due to a heterozygous EPOR mutation and suggest a regulatory role of EPO/EPOR pathway in human circulating endothelial precursors homeostasis. PMID:20700488

Diabetes-prone BB (BB-DP) rats express several T cell dysfunctions which include poor proliferative and cytotoxic responses to alloantigen. The goal of this study was to determine the origin of these T cell dysfunctions. When BB-DP rats were thymectomized, T cell depleted, and transplanted with neonatal thymus tissue from diabetes-resistant and otherwise normal DA/BB F1 rats, the early restoration of T cell function proceeded normally on a cell-for-cell basis; i.e., peripheral T cells functioned like those from the thymus donor. Because the thymus in these experiments was subjected to gamma irradiation before transplantation and there was no evidence of F1 chimerism in the transplanted BB-DP rats, it appeared that the BB-DP T cellprecursors could mature into normally functioning T cells if the maturation process occurred in a normal thymus. If the F1 thymus tissue was treated with dGua before transplantation, the T cells of these animals functioned poorly like those from untreated BB-DP rats. dGua poisons bone marrow-derived cells, including gamma radiation-resistant cells of the macrophage/dendritic cell lineages, while sparing the thymic epithelium. Therefore, the reversal of the T cell dysfunction depends on the presence in the F1 thymus of gamma radiation-resistant, dGua-sensitive F1 cells. Conversely, thymectomized and T cell-depleted F1 rats expressed T cell dysfunction when transplanted with gamma-irradiated BB thymus grafts. T cell responses were normal in animals transplanted with dGua-treated BB thymus grafts. With increasing time after thymus transplantation, T cells from all animals gradually expressed the functional phenotype of the bone marrow donor. Taken together these results suggest that BB-DP bone marrow-derived cells that are not T cellprecursors influence the maturation environment in the thymus of otherwise normal BB-DP T cellprecursors

This project “Advanced Precursor Reaction Processing for Cu(InGa)(SeS)2 Solar Cells”, completed by the Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC) at the University of Delaware in collaboration with the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida, developed the fundamental understanding and technology to increase module efficiency and improve the manufacturability of Cu(InGa)(SeS)2 films using the precursor reaction approach currently being developed by a number of companies. Key results included: (1) development of a three-step H2Se/Ar/H2S reaction process to control Ga distribution through the film and minimizes back contact MoSe2 formation; (2) Ag-alloying to improve precursor homogeneity by avoiding In phase agglomeration, faster reaction and improved adhesion to allow wider reaction process window; (3) addition of Sb, Bi, and Te interlayers at the Mo/precursor junction to produce more uniform precursor morphology and improve adhesion with reduced void formation in reacted films; (4) a precursor structure containing Se and a reaction process to reduce processing time to 5 minutes and eliminate H2Se usage, thereby increasing throughput and reducing costs. All these results were supported by detailed characterization of the film growth, reaction pathways, thermodynamic assessment and device behavior.

Full Text Available Oligodendrocyte precursorcells (OPCs are the progenitors of myelinating oligodendrocytes in brain development and repair. Successful myelination depends on the control of adhesiveness during OPC migration and axon contact formation. The decoration of cell surface proteins with the glycan polysialic acid (polySia is a key regulatory element of OPC interactions during development and under pathological conditions. By far the major protein carrier of polySia is the neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM, but recently, polysialylation of the synaptic cell adhesion molecule SynCAM 1 has been detected in the developing mouse brain. In mice, polySia-SynCAM 1 is associated with cells expressing NG2, a marker of a heterogeneous precursorcell population, which is the primary source for oligodendrocytes in development and myelin repair but can also give rise to astrocytes and possibly neurons. It is not yet clear if polySia-SynCAM 1 is expressed by OPCs and its occurrence in humans is elusive. By generating uniform human embryonic stem cell-derived OPC cultures, we demonstrate that polySia is present on human OPCs but down-regulated during differentiation into myelin basic protein-positive oligodendrocytes. PolySia on NCAM resides on the isoforms NCAM-180 and NCAM-140, and SynCAM 1 is identified as a novel polySia acceptor in human OPCs.

We report the case of a previously healthy, 10-year-old boy who presented to the emergency department with a syncopal episode. In the emergency department, the patient was diagnosed with a right atrial mass, later identified as a precursor B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL). Most causes of syncope in children are not life threatening. In most cases, it indicates a predisposition to vasovagal episodes. Lymphomas account for approximately 7% of malignancies among children younger than 20 years, are more common in white males and immunocompromised patients, and are predominantly tumors of T-cell origin. Children with non-Hodgkin lymphoma usually present with extranodal disease, most frequently involving the abdomen (31%), mediastinum (26%), or head and neck (29%). Our patient was unique in that he was a nonimmunocompromised, black boy, presenting with syncope in the setting of a large atrial mass identified as a precursor B-cell LL. To our knowledge, there are no reported cases of precursor B-cell LL presenting as syncope and a cardiac mass.

Full Text Available Inflammation after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI is non-resolving and thus still present in chronic injury stages. It plays a key role in the pathophysiology of SCI and has been associated with further neurodegeneration and development of neuropathic pain. Neural precursorcells (NPCs have been shown to reduce the acute and sub-acute inflammatory response after SCI. In the present study, we examined effects of NPC transplantation on the immune environment in chronic stages of SCI. SCI was induced in rats by clip-compression of the cervical spinal cord at the level C6-C7. NPCs were transplanted 10 days post-injury. The functional outcome was assessed weekly for 8 weeks using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scale, the CatWalk system, and the grid walk test. Afterwards, the rats were sacrificed, and spinal cord sections were examined for M1/M2 macrophages, T lymphocytes, astrogliosis, and apoptosis using immunofluorescence staining. Rats treated with NPCs had compared to the control group significantly fewer pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages and reduced immunodensity for inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS, their marker enzyme. Anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages were rarely present 8 weeks after the SCI. In this model, the sub-acute transplantation of NPCs did not support survival and proliferation of M2 macrophages. Post-traumatic apoptosis, however, was significantly reduced in the NPC group, which might be explained by the altered microenvironment following NPC transplantation. Corresponding to these findings, reactive astrogliosis was significantly reduced in NPC-transplanted animals. Furthermore, we could observe a trend toward smaller cavity sizes and functional improvement following NPC transplantation. Our data suggest that transplantation of NPCs following SCI might attenuate inflammation even in chronic injury stages. This might prevent further neurodegeneration and could also set a stage for improved neuroregeneration after SCI.

Naive T cell responses are eroded with aging. We and others have recently shown that unimmunized old mice lose ≥ 70% of Ag-specific CD8 T cellprecursors and that many of the remaining precursors acquire a virtual (central) memory (VM; CD44(hi)CD62L(hi)) phenotype. In this study, we demonstrate that unimmunized TCR transgenic (TCRTg) mice also undergo massive VM conversion with age, exhibiting rapid effector function upon both TCR and cytokine triggering. Age-related VM conversion in TCRTg mice directly depended on replacement of the original TCRTg specificity by endogenous TCRα rearrangements, indicating that TCR signals must be critical in VM conversion. Importantly, we found that VM conversion had adverse functional effects in both old wild-type and old TCRTg mice; that is, old VM, but not old true naive, T cells exhibited blunted TCR-mediated, but not IL-15-mediated, proliferation. This selective proliferative senescence correlated with increased apoptosis in old VM cells in response to peptide, but decreased apoptosis in response to homeostatic cytokines IL-7 and IL-15. Our results identify TCR as the key factor in differential maintenance and function of Ag-specific precursors in unimmunized mice with aging, and they demonstrate that two separate age-related defects--drastic reduction in true naive T cellprecursors and impaired proliferative capacity of their VM cousins--combine to reduce naive T cell responses with aging.

NAD+ is mainly synthesized in human cells via the “salvage” pathways starting from nicotinamide, nicotinic acid, or nicotinamide riboside (NR). The inhibition with FK866 of the enzyme nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), catalyzing the first reaction in the “salvage” pathway from nicotinamide, showed potent antitumor activity in several preclinical models of solid and hematologic cancers. In the clinical studies performed with FK866, however, no tumor remission was observed. Here we demonstrate that low micromolar concentrations of extracellular NAD+ or NAD+ precursors, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and NR, can reverse the FK866-induced cell death, this representing a plausible explanation for the failure of NAMPT inhibition as an anti-cancer therapy. NMN is a substrate of both ectoenzymes CD38 and CD73, with generation of NAM and NR, respectively. In this study, we investigated the roles of CD38 and CD73 in providing ectocellular NAD+ precursors for NAD+ biosynthesis and in modulating cell susceptibility to FK866. By specifically silencing or overexpressing CD38 and CD73, we demonstrated that endogenous CD73 enables, whereas CD38 impairs, the conversion of extracellular NMN to NR as a precursor for intracellular NAD+ biosynthesis in human cells. Moreover, cell viability in FK866-treated cells supplemented with extracellular NMN was strongly reduced in tumor cells, upon pharmacological inhibition or specific down-regulation of CD73. Thus, our study suggests that genetic or pharmacologic interventions interfering with CD73 activity may prove useful to increase cancer cell sensitivity to NAMPT inhibitors. PMID:23880765

In childhood B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia, cytogenetics is important in diagnosis and as an indicator of response to therapy, thus playing a key role in risk stratification of patients for treatment. Little is known of the relationship between different cytogenetic subtypes in B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the recently reported copy number abnormalities affecting significant leukemia associated genes. In a consecutive series of 1427 childhood B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients, we have determined the incidence and type of copy number abnormalities using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. We have shown strong links between certain deletions and cytogenetic subtypes, including the novel association between RB1 deletions and intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21. In this study, we characterized the different copy number abnormalities and show heterogeneity of PAX5 and IKZF1 deletions and the recurrent nature of RB1 deletions. Whole gene losses are often indicative of larger deletions, visible by conventional cytogenetics. An increased number of copy number abnormalities is associated with NCI high risk, specifically deletions of IKZF1 and CDKN2A/B, which occur more frequently among these patients. IKZF1 deletions and rearrangements of CRLF2 among patients with undefined karyotypes may point to the poor risk BCR-ABL1-like group. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated in a large representative cohort of children with B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia that the pattern of copy number abnormalities is highly variable according to the primary genetic abnormality. PMID:23508010

One of the key factors of prognosis and risk stratification in patients with B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) is minimal residual disease (MRD). Identification of MRD on the day 15th is one of the most significant in prognosis of the disease. We compared data of a morphological and flow cytometry results of assessment of a bone marrow (BM) at the day 15th of induction chemotherapy in children with BCP-ALL.

Full Text Available This study was designed to determine whether adult mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs, could be used to produce retinal precursors and subsequently photoreceptor cells for retinal transplantation to restore retinal function in degenerative hosts. iPSCs were generated using adult dsRed mouse dermal fibroblasts via retroviral induction of the transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, KLF4 and c-Myc. As with normal mouse ES cells, adult dsRed iPSCs expressed the pluripotency genes SSEA1, Oct4, Sox2, KLF4, c-Myc and Nanog. Following transplantation into the eye of immune-compromised retinal degenerative mice these cells proceeded to form teratomas containing tissue comprising all three germ layers. At 33 days post-differentiation a large proportion of the cells expressed the retinal progenitor cell marker Pax6 and went on to express the photoreceptor markers, CRX, recoverin, and rhodopsin. When tested using calcium imaging these cells were shown to exhibit characteristics of normal retinal physiology, responding to delivery of neurotransmitters. Following subretinal transplantation into degenerative hosts differentiated iPSCs took up residence in the retinal outer nuclear layer and gave rise to increased electro retinal function as determined by ERG and functional anatomy. As such, adult fibroblast-derived iPSCs provide a viable source for the production of retinal precursors to be used for transplantation and treatment of retinal degenerative disease.

Skeletal muscle precursorcells (MPCs) are considered a key candidate for cell therapy in the treatment of skeletal muscle dysfunction due to injury, disease, or age. However, expansion of a sufficient number of functional skeletal muscle cells in vitro from a small tissue biopsy has been challenging due to changes in phenotypic expression of these cells under traditional culture conditions. Thus, the aim of the study was to develop a better culture system for the expansion and myo-differentiation of MPCs that could further be used for therapy. For this purpose, we developed an ideal method of tissue decellularization and compared the ability of different matrices to support MPC growth and differentiation. Porcine-derived skeletal muscle and liver and kidney extracellular matrix (ECM) were generated by decellularization methods consisting of distilled water, 0.2 mg/mL DNase, or 5% fetal bovine serum. Acellular matrices were further homogenized, dissolved, and combined with a hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel decorated with heparin (ECM-HA-HP). The cell proliferation and myogenic differentiation capacity of human MPCs were assessed when grown on gel alone, ECM, or each ECM-HA-HP substrate. Human MPC proliferation was significantly enhanced when cultured on the ECM-HA-HP substrates compared to the other substrates tested, with the greatest proliferation on the muscle ECM-HA-HP (mECM-HA-HP) substrate. The number of differentiated myotubes was significantly increased on the mECM-HA-HP substrate compared to the other gel-ECM substrates, as well as the numbers of MPCs expressing specific myogenic cell markers (i.e., myosin, desmin, myoD, and myf5). In conclusion, skeletal mECM-HA-HP as a culture substrate provided an optimal culture microenvironment potentially due to its similarity to the in vivo environment. These data suggest a potential use of skeletal muscle-derived ECM gel for the expansion and differentiation of human MPCs for cell-based therapy for skeletal muscle

Full Text Available A precise identification and phenotypic characterization of human B-cell subsets is of crucial importance in both basic research and medicine. In the literature, flow cytometry studies for the phenotypic characterization of B-lymphocytes are mainly focused on the description of a particular cell stage, or of specific cell stages observed in a single type of sample. In the present work, we propose a backbone of 6 antibodies (CD38, CD27, CD10, CD19, CD5 and CD45 and an efficient gating strategy to identify, in a single analysis tube, a large number of B-cell subsets covering the whole B-cell differentiation from precursors to memory and plasma cells. Furthermore, by adding two antibodies in an 8-color combination, our approach allows the analysis of the modulation of any cell surface marker of interest along B-cell differentiation. We thus developed a panel of seven 8-colour antibody combinations to phenotypically characterize B-cell subpopulations in bone marrow, peripheral blood, lymph node and cord blood samples. Beyond qualitative information provided by biparametric representations, we also quantified antigen expression on each of the identified B-cell subsets and we proposed a series of informative curves showing the modulation of seventeen cell surface markers along B-cell differentiation. Our approach by flow cytometry provides an efficient tool to obtain quantitative data on B-cell surface markers expression with a relative easy-to-handle technique that can be applied in routine explorations.

Host cell transcription mediated by all three RNA polymerases is rapidly inhibited after infection of mammalian cells with poliovirus (PV). Both genetic and biochemical studies have shown that the virus-encoded protease 3C cleaves the TATA-binding protein and other transcription factors at glutamine-glycine sites and is directly responsible for host cell transcription shut-off. PV replicates in the cytoplasm of infected cells. To shut-off host cell transcription, 3C or a precursor of 3C must enter the nucleus of infected cells. Although the 3C protease itself lacks a nuclear localization signal (NLS), amino acid sequence examination of 3D identified a potential single basic type NLS, KKKRD, spanning amino acids 125-129 within this polypeptide. Thus, a plausible scenario is that 3C enters the nucleus in the form of its precursor, 3CD, which then generates 3C by auto-proteolysis ultimately leading to cleavage of transcription factors in the nucleus. Using transient transfection of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fusion polypeptides, we demonstrate here that both 3CD and 3D are capable of entering the nucleus in PV-infected cells. However, both polypeptides remain in the cytoplasm in uninfected HeLa cells. Mutagenesis of the NLS sequence in 3D prevents nuclear entry of 3D and 3CD in PV-infected cells. We also demonstrate that 3CD can be detected in the nuclear fraction from PV-infected HeLa cells as early as 2 h postinfection. Significant amount of 3CD is found associated with the nuclear fraction by 3-4 h of infection. Taken together, these results suggest that both the 3D NLS and PV infection are required for the entry of 3CD into the nucleus and that this may constitute a means by which viral protease 3C is delivered into the nucleus leading to host cell transcription shut-off

in precursor lesions of lung squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma was investigated by stainings with a specific anti-C4.4A antibody. In the transformation from normal bronchial epithelium to squamous cell carcinoma, C4.4A was weakly expressed in basal cell hyperplasia but dramatically increased...... in squamous metaplasia. This was confined to the cell membrane and sustained in dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, and the invasive carcinoma. The induction of C4.4A already at the stage of hyperplasia could indicate that it is a marker of very early squamous differentiation, which aligns well with our earlier...... finding that C4.4A expression levels do not provide prognostic information on the survival of squamous cell carcinoma patients. In the progression from normal alveolar epithelium to peripheral adenocarcinoma, we observed an unexpected, distinct cytoplasmic staining for C4.4A in a fraction of atypical...

Hydroxyapatite coatings were deposited on Ti-6Al-4V substrates by a novel plasma spraying process, the liquid precursor plasma spraying (LPPS) process. X-ray diffraction results showed that the coatings obtained by the LPPS process were mainly composed of hydroxyapatite. The LPPS process also showed excellent control on the coating microstructure, and both nearly fully dense and highly porous hydroxyapatite coatings were obtained by simply adjusting the solid content of the hydroxyapatite liquid precursor. Scanning electron microscope observations indicated that the porous hydroxyapatite coatings had pore size in the range of 10-200 μm and an average porosity of 48.26 ± 0.10%. The osteoblastic cell responses to the dense and porous hydroxyapatite coatings were evaluated with human osteoblastic cell MG-63, in respect of the cell morphology, proliferation and differentiation, with the hydroxyapatite coatings deposited by the atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) process as control. The cell experiment results indicated that the heat-treated LPPS coatings with a porous structure showed the best cell proliferation and differentiation among all the hydroxyapatite coatings. Our results suggest that the LPPS process is a promising plasma spraying technique for fabricating hydroxyapatite coatings with a controllable microstructure, which has great potential in bone repair and replacement applications.

The present report shows the agar diffusion chamber technique for culturing granulocyte- macrophage precursorcells, obtained from mice bone marrow. Diffusion chambers containing the bone marrow suspension are implanted intraperitoneally Into mice and constitute a compartment which avoids the migration of cells, but allows the transit of the mouse biological fluxes, necessary for the cellular proliferation. By means of this technique, we studied the lethal effects of the hyperthermia on the precursors and their capacity to repair sublethal damage. (Author) 129 refs

Full Text Available Monitoring cycling behaviours of stem and somatic cells in the living animal is a powerful tool to better understand tissue development and homeostasis. The tg(anillin:anillin-eGFP transgenic line carries the full-length zebrafish F-actin binding protein Anillin fused to eGFP from a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC containing Anillin cis-regulatory sequences. Here we report the suitability of the Anillin-eGFP reporter as a direct indicator of cycling cells in the late embryonic and post-embryonic retina. We show that combining the anillin:anillin-eGFP with other transgenes such as ptf1a:dsRed and atoh7:gap-RFP allows obtaining spatial and temporal resolution of the mitotic potentials of specific retinal cell populations. This is exemplified by the analysis of the origin of the previously reported apically and non-apically dividing late committed precursors of the photoreceptor and horizontal cell layers.

The six members of the contactin (CNTN) family of neural cell adhesion molecules are involved in the formation and maintenance of the central nervous system (CNS) and have been linked to mental retardation and neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism. Five of the six CNTNs bind to the homologous receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases gamma (PTPRG) and zeta (PTPRZ), but the biological roles of these interactions remain unclear. We report here the cocrystal structure of the carbonic anhydrase-like domain of PTPRZ bound to tandem Ig repeats of CNTN1 and combine these structural data with binding assays to show that PTPRZ binds specifically to CNTN1 expressed at the surface of oligodendrocyte precursorcells. Furthermore, analyses of glial cell populations in wild-type and PTPRZ-deficient mice show that the binding of PTPRZ to CNTN1 expressed at the surface of oligodendrocyte precursorcells inhibits their proliferation and promotes their development into mature oligodendrocytes. Overall, these results implicate the PTPRZ/CNTN1 complex as a previously unknown modulator of oligodendrogenesis.

Effective numerical expansion of dopaminergic precursors might overcome the limited availability of transplantable cells in replacement strategies for Parkinson's disease. Here we investigated the effect of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) and FGF8 on expansion and dopaminergic differentiation o...... enzyme activity, which may explain the elevated dopamine levels. Our findings demonstrate that modulation of oxygen tension is a recognizable factor for in vitro expansion and dopaminergic differentiation of rat embryonic midbrain precursorcells....... of rat embryonic ventral mesencephalic neuroblasts cultured at high (20%) and low (3%) oxygen tension. More cells incorporated bromodeoxyuridine in cultures expanded at low as compared to high oxygen tension, and after 6 days of differentiation there were significantly more neuronal cells in low than......, switching FGF2-expanded cultures from low to high oxygen tension during the last two days of differentiation significantly enhanced dopamine release and intracellular dopamine levels as compared to all other treatment groups. In addition, the short-term exposure to high oxygen enhanced in situ assessed TH...

This work reports a PbS-quantum-dot-sensitized solar cell (QDSC) with power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4%. PbS quantum dots (QDs) were grown on mesoporous TiO2 film using a successive ion layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The growth of QDs was found to be profoundly affected by the concentration of the precursor solution. At low concentrations, the rate-limiting factor of the crystal growth was the adsorption of the precursor ions, and the surface growth of the crystal became the limiting factor in the high concentration solution. The optimal concentration of precursor solution with respect to the quantity and size of synthesized QDs was 0.06 M. To further increase the performance of QDSCs, the 30% deionized water of polysulfide electrolyte was replaced with methanol to improve the wettability and permeability of electrolytes in the TiO2 film, which accelerated the redox couple diffusion in the electrolyte solution and improved charge transfer at the interfaces between photoanodes and electrolytes. The stability of PbS QDs in the electrolyte was also improved by methanol to reduce the charge recombination and prolong the electron lifetime. As a result, the PCE of QDSC was increased to 4.01%.

Three distinct immature T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia entities have been described including cases that express an early T-cellprecursor immunophenotype or expression profile, immature MEF2C-dysregulated T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cluster cases based on gene expression analysis (immature cluster) and cases that retain non-rearranged TRG@ loci. Early T-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases exclusively overlap with immature cluster samples based on the expression of early T-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia signature genes, indicating that both are featuring a single disease entity. Patients lacking TRG@ rearrangements represent only 40% of immature cluster cases, but no further evidence was found to suggest that cases with absence of bi-allelic TRG@ deletions reflect a distinct and even more immature disease entity. Immature cluster/early T-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases are strongly enriched for genes expressed in hematopoietic stem cells as well as genes expressed in normal early thymocyte progenitor or double negative-2A T-cell subsets. Identification of early T-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases solely by defined immunophenotypic criteria strongly underestimates the number of cases that have a corresponding gene signature. However, early T-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia samples correlate best with a CD1 negative, CD4 and CD8 double negative immunophenotype with expression of CD34 and/or myeloid markers CD13 or CD33. Unlike various other studies, immature cluster/early T-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients treated on the COALL-97 protocol did not have an overall inferior outcome, and demonstrated equal sensitivity levels to most conventional therapeutic drugs compared to other pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients. PMID:23975177

Full Text Available Abstract Background Survivin is a unique member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP family in that it exhibits antiapoptotic properties and also promotes the cell cycle and mediates mitosis as a chromosome passenger protein. Survivin is highly expressed in neural precursorcells in the brain, yet its function there has not been elucidated. Results To examine the role of neural precursorcell survivin, we first showed that survivin is normally expressed in periventricular neurogenic regions in the embryo, becoming restricted postnatally to proliferating and migrating NPCs in the key neurogenic sites, the subventricular zone (SVZ and the subgranular zone (SGZ. We then used a conditional gene inactivation strategy to delete the survivin gene prenatally in those neurogenic regions. Lack of embryonic NPC survivin results in viable, fertile mice (SurvivinCamcre with reduced numbers of SVZ NPCs, absent rostral migratory stream, and olfactory bulb hypoplasia. The phenotype can be partially rescued, as intracerebroventricular gene delivery of survivin during embryonic development increases olfactory bulb neurogenesis, detected postnatally. SurvivinCamcre brains have fewer cortical inhibitory interneurons, contributing to enhanced sensitivity to seizures, and profound deficits in memory and learning. Conclusions The findings highlight the critical role that survivin plays during neural development, deficiencies of which dramatically impact on postnatal neural function.

Precursor and effector cells of recombinant interleukin-2 (r-IL-2)-induced lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) activity were investigated for their expression of VGO1. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from normal donors were purified and separated in a FACS 420 into VGO1+- and VGO1- cell fractions before and after culture for 96 hr with 100 U/ml of r-IL-2. Their lytic activity against K 562 and Daudi cells was measured in a 51Cr release assay. The majority, if not all, of the LAK effector and precursorcells was VGO1+ lymphocytes. The expression of VGO1 by LAK precursorcells remained stable under the culture conditions used in our experiments. VGO1- lymphocytes cultured with r-IL-2 demonstrated neither LAK-induced activity nor expression of VGO1 antigen

The effects of the X-irradiation on the viability of the granulocyte-macrophage precursors, has been determined by means of the agar diffusion chamber culture technique. The results show the high radiosensitivity of these cells, with survival parameter similar to those previously reported in the literature about different granulocyte-macrophage precursors. When a hyperthermic treatment is performed prior to the X-irradiation, a radiosensitization phenomenon is observed due to the synergism existent between hyperthermia and X rays on the lethality of the precursors. (Authors) 37 refs

Mounting evidence suggests that Alzheimer's disease (AD) is caused by the accumulation of the small peptide, amyloid-β (Aβ), a proteolytic cleavage product of amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP). Aβ is generated through a serial cleavage of AβPP by β- and γ-secretase. Aβ40 and Aβ42 are the two main components of amyloid plaques in AD brains, with Aβ42 being more prone to aggregation. AβPP can also be processed by α-secretase, which cleaves AβPP within the Aβ sequence, thereby preventing the generation of Aβ. Little is currently known regarding the effects of cell density on AβPP processing and Aβ generation. Here we assessed the effects of cell density on AβPP processing in neuronal and non-neuronal cell lines, as well as mouse primary cortical neurons. We found that decreased cell density significantly increases levels of Aβ40, Aβ42, total Aβ, and the ratio of Aβ42: Aβ40. These results also indicate that cell density is a significant modulator of AβPP processing. Overall, these findings carry profound implications for both previous and forthcoming studies aiming to assess the effects of various conditions and genetic/chemical factors, e.g., novel drugs on AβPP processing and Aβ generation in cell-based systems. Moreover, it is interesting to speculate whether cell density changes in vivo may also affect AβPP processing and Aβ levels in the AD brain.

A sensitive limiting dilution microculture system was used to obtain minimal estimates of the frequency of CTL precursorcells (CTL-P) in spleens from 5- to 14-mo-old C57BL/6 nu/nu mice. Frequency determinations of CTL-P directed against H-2delta alloantigens ranged from 1/159,000 to 1/12,400. The relatively low frequency of CTL-P was enriched nearly 10-fold (to 1/2300) by passage of nude spleen cells over a column of nylon wool. After priming nude spleen cells for 7 days in conventional MLC, 1 to 3% of the MLC cells could be operationally identified as CTL-P. Furthermore, the progeny of MLC-primed nude CTL-P were specifically cytolytic for target cells of the strain used for priming. Such a system may be useful for analyzing the specificity repertoires of cells of the T cell lineage that have not undergone thymic influence.

Serum from whole-body irradiated mice inhibits incorporation of DNA precursors into DNA of L929 cells in culture in a dose-dependent way. The humoral factor interfering with the incorporation of 3 H-thymidine and 125 I-iododeoxyuridine is identical to thymidine. The degree of depression of 125 I-iododeoxyuridine-uptake is more sensitive than that of 3 H-thymidine. Irradiation of donor mice does not confer a toxic effect of blood serum on cell growth in culture. Incorporation of 3 H-leucine into protein and 3 H-cytidine into DNA and RNA is not affected by the serum of irradiated mice; there is no effect on the incorporation of 3 H-cytidine from the intracellular precursor pool into DNA or RNA either. The present findings demonstrate the specificity and high sensitivity of the assay system for measuring thymidine concentration in mouse blood serum and point to possible applications of analysing abnormalities in DNA metabolism resulting in, or from, disturbances of the thymidine reutilization pathway. (orig.) [de

This work deals with real-time investigations concerning the crystallisation process of CuInSe{sub 2}-based thin-film solar cell absorbers while annealing differently produced and composed ''low-cost'' precursors. Various types of precursors have been investigated concerning their crystallisation behaviour. Three groups of experiments have been performed: (i) Investigations concerning the crystallisation process of the quaternary chalcopyrite Cu(In,Al)Se{sub 2} and Cu(In,Al)S{sub 2}, (ii) investigations concerning the formation process of the compound semiconductor CuInSe{sub 2} from electroplated precursors, and (iii) investigations concerning the crystallisation of Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} using precursors with thermally evaporated indium. A specific sample surrounding has been constructed, which enables to perform time-resolved angle-dispersive X-ray powder diffraction experiments during the annealing process of precursor samples. A thorough analysis of subsequently recorded diffraction patterns using the Rietveld method provides a detailed knowledge about the semiconductor crystallisation process while annealing. Based on these fundamental investigations, conclusions have been drawn concerning an adaptation of the precursor deposition process in order to optimise the final solar cell results. The investigations have shown, that one class of electroplated precursors shows a crystallisation behaviour identical to the one known for vacuum-deposited precursors. The investigations concerning the crystallisation process of the quaternary chalcopyrite Cu(In,Al)Se{sub 2} revealed, that the chalcopyrite forms from the ternary selenide (Al,In){sub 2}Se{sub 3} and Cu{sub 2}Se at elevated process temperatures. This result is used to explain the separation of the absorber layer into an aluminum-rich and an indium-rich chalcopyrite phase, which has been observed at processed Cu(In,Al)Se{sub 2} absorbers from several research groups. In addition, differences

The present study investigates some of the cellular mechanisms responsible for the defect in cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response to trinitrophenyl (TNP)-modified H-2/sup b/ self components in C57Bl/6(H-2/sup b/) or (C57BL/6 x C3H/He)(H-2/sup b/ x H-2/sup k/)F 1 mice. C3H/He, C57BL/6, and (C57BL/6 x C3H/He)F 1 mice were immunized to TNP-modified self by skin painting with trinitrochlorobenzene, and their spleen cells were used a) for in vitro secondary sensitization to syngeneic spleen cells conjugated with limiting concentrations of trinitrobenzene sulfonate (TNP-self) or b) as a source of radioresistant helper cells for augmenting the TNP-self CTL response generated by spleen cells from unimmunized C3H/He, C57Bl/6, and F 1 mice. The results indicate that strong or weak in vitro secondary CTL responses could be obtained in the H-2/sup k/ or H-2/sup b/ strain, respectively. This strain-dependent genetic difference was also observed in (H-2/sup b/ x H-2/sup k/)F 1 mice. These results permit the detection of the Ir gene defect in the anti-TNP-H-2/sup b/ self CTL response at both the helper and cytotoxic precursorcell levels

Special attention has recently been drawn to the molecular network of different genes that are responsible for the development of erythroid cells. The aim of the present study was to establish in detail the immunophenotype of early erythroid cells and to compare the gene expression profile of freshly isolated early erythroid precursors with that of the CD34-positive (CD34 + ) compartment. Multiparameter flow cytometric analyses of human bone marrow mononuclear cell fractions (n=20) defined three distinct early erythroid stages. The gene expression profile of sorted early erythroid cells was analyzed by Affymetrix array technology. For 4524 genes, a differential regulation was found in CD105-positive erythroid cells as compared with the CD34 + progenitor compartment (2362 upregulated genes). A highly significant difference was observed in the expression level of genes involved in transcription, heme synthesis, iron and mitochondrial metabolism and transforming growth factor-β signaling. A comparison with recently published data showed over 1000 genes that as yet have not been reported to be upregulated in the early erythroid lineage. The gene expression level within distinct pathways could be illustrated directly by applying the Ingenuity software program. The results of gene expression analyses can be seen at the Gene Expression Omnibus repository

We reported that Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells contain two different serine-exchange enzymes (I and II) which catalyze the base-exchange reaction of phospholipid(s) with serine and that a phosphatidylserine-requiring mutant (strain PSA-3) of CHO cells is defective in serine-exchange enzyme I and lacks the ability to synthesize phosphatidylserine. In this study, we examined precursor phospholipids for phosphatidylserine biosynthesis in CHO cells. When mutant PSA-3 and parent (CHO-K1) cells were cultured with [ 32 P]phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine in the parent accumulated radioactivity while that in the mutant was not labeled significantly. On the contrary, when cultured with [ 32 P]phosphatidylethanolamine, the mutant incorporated the label into phosphatidylserine more efficiently than the parent. Furthermore, we found that mutant PSA-3 grew normally in growth medium supplemented with 30 microM phosphatidylethanolamine as well as phosphatidylserine and that the biosynthesis of phosphatidylserine in the mutant was normal when cells were cultured in the presence of exogenous phosphatidylethanolamine. The simplest interpretation of these findings is that phosphatidylserine in CHO cells is biosynthesized through the following sequential reactions: phosphatidylcholine----phosphatidylserine----phosphatidylethanolamine--- - phosphatidylserine. The three reactions are catalyzed by serine-exchange enzyme I, phosphatidylserine decarboxylase, and serine-exchange enzyme II, respectively

In vitro expansion and characterization of neural precursorcells from human gut biopsy specimens with or without Hirschsprung's disease using a novel thermoreversible gelation polymer (TGP) is reported aiming at a possible future treatment. Gut biopsy samples were obtained from five patients undergoing gut resection for Hirschsprung's disease (n = 1) or gastrointestinal disorders (n = 4). Cells isolated from the smooth muscle layer and the myenteric plexus were cultured in two groups for 18 to 28 days; Group I: conventional culture as earlier reported and Group II: using TGP scaffold. Neurosphere like bodies (NLBs) were observed in the cultures between 8th to 12th day and H & E staining was positive for neural cells in both groups including aganglionic gut portion from the Hirschsprung's disease patient. Immunohistochemistry using S-100 and neuron specific enolase (NSE) was positive in both groups but the TGP group (Group II) showed more number of cells with intense cytoplasmic granular positivity for both NSE and S-100 compared to Group I. TGP supports the in vitro expansion of human gut derived neuronal cells with seemingly better quality NLBs. Animal Studies can be tried to validate their functional outcome by transplanting the NLBs with TGP scaffolds to see whether this can enhance the outcome of cell based therapies for Hirschsprung's disease.

In the last decade, published research has indicated the potential of commercial microwave links that comprise the data transmission infrastructure of cellular communication networks as an environmental monitoring technology. Different weather phenomena cause interference in the wireless communication links that can therefore essentially act as a low-cost sensor network, already deployed worldwide, for atmospheric monitoring. In this study we focus on the attenuation effect caused in commercial microwave networks due to gradients in the atmospheric refractive index with altitude as a result of the combination of temperature inversions and falls in the atmospheric humidity trapped beneath them. These conditions, when combined with high relative humidity near ground level, are precursors to the creation of fog. The current work utilizes this novel approach to demonstrate the potential for detecting these preconditions of fog, a phenomenon associated with severe visibility limitations that can lead to dangerous accidents, injuries, and loss of lives.

A series of experiments in guinea pigs and mice established that proliferating progenitor cells for B and T lymphocytes are a resident population in the bone marrow. It was shown by the combined use of /sup 3/H-TdR radioautography and fluorescent-antibody staining of B and T cells that the majority of bone marrow (BM) lymphocytes are rapidly renewed (RR) B cells and null cells, whereas the thymus (THY) consists overwhelming of RR T lymphocytes; in spleen (SPL) and lymph node (LN) slowly renewed (SR) T and B cells predominate. The rate of B cell turnover in guinea pig bone marrow exceeds that in the SPL or LN, and the appearance of newly generated B cells in the SPL lags behind that in the BM. When systematically administered /sup 3/H-TdR was excluded by tourniquets from tibial and femoral BM no labeled B cells appeared in tibial or femoral marrow over 72 h. When tibial and femoral BM was labeled selectively with /sup 3/H-TdR, labeled B cells appeared in the SPL and LN over 72 h. (It was found in CBA mice that BM cell fractions enriched in lymphocytes (BML) responded to the T cell mitogen PHA in a manner qualitatively different from the response of SPL and LN cells. Experiments with athymic nude mice and with complement-mediated lysis of T and B cells established that PHA responsive cells in SPL and LN were T cells but in BML they were null lymphocytes. Target cells of PHA in BML responded to the mitogen by the generation of T-cell surface markers and blastogenesis; therefore they were identified as pre-T cells. BM pre-T cells are rapidly renewed and, in contrast to PHA responsive cells of SPL and LN, do not recirculate from blood to lymph. Both B and pre-T cells in the BM are division products of transitional cells. Among transitional cells of the marrow are included the progenitors of B and T lmyphhocytes and of all other types of hemopoietic cells.

Norepinephrine regulates latent neural stem cell activity and adult hippocampal neurogenesis, and has an important role in modulating hippocampal functions such as learning, memory and mood. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is a multi-stage process, spanning from the activation and proliferation of hippocampal stem cells, to their differentiation into neurons. However, the stage-specific effects of noradrenergic receptors in regulating adult hippocampal neurogenesis remain poorly understood. In this study, we used transgenic Nestin-GFP mice and neurosphere assays to show that modulation of α2- and β-adrenergic receptor activity directly affects Nestin-GFP/GFAP-positive precursorcell population albeit in an opposing fashion. While selective stimulation of α2-adrenergic receptors decreases precursorcell activation, proliferation and immature neuron number, stimulation of β-adrenergic receptors activates the quiescent precursor pool and enhances their proliferation in the adult hippocampus. Furthermore, our data indicate no major role for α1-adrenergic receptors, as we did not observe any change in either the activation and proliferation of hippocampal precursors following selective stimulation or blockade of α1-adrenergic receptors. Taken together, our data suggest that under physiological as well as under conditions that lead to enhanced norepinephrine release, the balance between α2- and β-adrenergic receptor activity regulates precursorcell activity and hippocampal neurogenesis. PMID:24922313

In vertebrates, the proximal and distal sensory ganglia of the branchial nerves are derived from neural crest cells (NCCs) and placodes, respectively. We previously reported that in Hoxa3 knockout mouse embryos, NCCs and placode-derived cells of the glossopharyngeal nerve were defective in their migration. In this report, to determine the cell-type origin for this Hoxa3 knockout phenotype, we blocked the expression of the gene with antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MO) specifically in either NCCs/neural tube or placodal cells of chicken embryos. Our results showed that HOXA3 function was required for the migration of the epibranchial placode-derived cells and that HOXA3 regulated this cell migration in both NCCs/neural tube and placodal cells. We also report that the expression pattern of chicken HOXA3 was slightly different from that of mouse Hoxa3. PMID:21278919

Full Text Available Cancer is often associated with multiple and progressive genetic alterations in genes that are important for normal development. BCAS3 (Breast Cancer Amplified Sequence 3 is a gene of unknown function on human chromosome 17q23, a region associated with breakpoints of several neoplasms. The normal expression pattern of BCAS3 has not been studied, though it is implicated in breast cancer progression. Rudhira, a murine WD40 domain protein that is 98% identical to BCAS3 is expressed in embryonic stem (ES cells, erythropoiesis and angiogenesis. This suggests that BCAS3 expression also may not be restricted to mammary tissue and may have important roles in other normal as well as malignant tissues. We show that BCAS3 is also expressed in human ES cells and during their differentiation into blood vascular precursors. We find that BCAS3 is aberrantly expressed in malignant human brain lesions. In glioblastoma, hemangiopericytoma and brain abscess we note high levels of BCAS3 expression in tumor cells and some blood vessels. BCAS3 may be associated with multiple cancerous and rapidly proliferating cells and hence the expression, function and regulation of this gene merits further investigation. We suggest that BCAS3 is mis-expressed in brain tumors and could serve as a human ES cell and tumor marker.

Herein, we describe a protocol for preparation of pre-activated anti-inflammatory human mesenchymal stem/precursorcells (MSCs) in 3D culture without addition of exogenous chemicals or gene transfer approaches. MSCs are an easily procurable source of multipotent adult stem cells with therapeutic potential largely attributed to their paracrine regulation of inflammation and immunity. However, the culture conditions to prepare the ideal MSCs for cell therapy remain elusive. Furthermore, reported lag time for activation in experimental models have prompted investigations to pre-activate the cells prior to their administration. In this protocol, standard 2D culture expanded MSCs are activated by aggregation into 3D spheres using hanging drop cultures. MSC activation is evaluated by real-time PCR and/or ELISA for anti-inflammatory factors (TSG-6, STC-1, PGE2), and by a functional assay using lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage cultures. Furthermore, we elucidate methods to prepare MSC sphere conditioned medium, intact spheres, and suspension of single cells from spheres for experimental and clinical applications. PMID:24510769

Full Text Available Early T cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-ALL is an aggressive subtype of ALL distinguished by stem-cell-associated and myeloid transcriptional programs. Inactivating alterations of Polycomb repressive complex 2 components are frequent in human ETP-ALL, but their functional role is largely undefined. We have studied the involvement of Ezh2 in a murine model of NRASQ61K-driven leukemia that recapitulates phenotypic and transcriptional features of ETP-ALL. Homozygous inactivation of Ezh2 cooperated with oncogenic NRASQ61K to accelerate leukemia onset. Inactivation of Ezh2 accentuated expression of genes highly expressed in human ETP-ALL and in normal murine early thymic progenitors. Moreover, we found that Ezh2 contributes to the silencing of stem-cell- and early-progenitor-cell-associated genes. Loss of Ezh2 also resulted in increased activation of STAT3 by tyrosine 705 phosphorylation. Our data mechanistically link Ezh2 inactivation to stem-cell-associated transcriptional programs and increased growth/survival signaling, features that convey an adverse prognosis in patients.

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine, which influences neuronal survival and function yet there is limited information available on its effects on hippocampal neural precursorcells (NPCs). We show that TNFalpha treatment during proliferation had no effect on the percentage of proliferating cells prepared from embryonic rat hippocampal neurosphere cultures, nor did it affect cell fate towards either an astrocytic or neuronal lineage when cells were then allowed to differentiate. However, when cells were differentiated in the presence of TNFalpha, significantly reduced percentages of newly born and post-mitotic neurons, significantly increased percentages of astrocytes and increased expression of TNFalpha receptors, TNF-R1 and TNF-R2, as well as expression of the anti-neurogenic Hes1 gene, were observed. These data indicate that exposure of hippocampal NPCs to TNFalpha when they are undergoing differentiation but not proliferation has a detrimental effect on their neuronal lineage fate, which may be mediated through increased expression of Hes1. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

One hallmark of Alzheimer´s disease are senile plaques consisting of amyloid beta (Aβ), which derives from the processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer´s disease and both Aβ and APP have been reported to affect mitochondrial function in isolated systems. However, in intact cells, considering a physiological localization of APP and Aβ, it is pending what triggers the mitochondrial defect. Thus, the aim of this study was to dissect the impact of APP versus Aβ in inducing mitochondrial alterations with respect to their subcellular localization. We performed an overexpression of APP or beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), increasing APP and Aβ levels or Aβ alone, respectively. Conducting a comprehensive metabolic characterization we demonstrate that only APP overexpression reduced mitochondrial respiration, despite lower extracellular Aβ levels compared to BACE overexpression. Surprisingly, this could be rescued by a gamma secretase inhibitor, oppositionally indicating an Aβ-mediated mitochondrial toxicity. Analyzing Aβ localization revealed that intracellular levels of Aβ and an increased spatial association of APP/Aβ with mitochondria are associated with reduced mitochondrial respiration. Thus, our data provide marked evidence for a prominent role of intracellular Aβ accumulation in Alzheimer´s disease associated mitochondrial dysfunction. Thereby it highlights the importance of the localization of APP processing and intracellular transport as a decisive factor for mitochondrial function, linking two prominent hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases. PMID:28005987

Cultured cells from chick embryo brains were studied for their sensitivity to triethyllead. Triethyllead chloride (3.16 microM) was added to the nutrient medium and incubated for 48 hr with the cells. Morphological changes in light microscope and radioactive labeling of galactolipids were assayed. Triethyllead treatment reduced the number of neuronal cells with processes. Morphological changes were not observed in glial cells. The [ 35 S]sulfate labeling of sulfatides was reduced to 50%. The [ 3 H]serine labeling of cerebrosides with alpha-hydroxy fatty acids was not influenced, while the [ 3 H]serine labeling of cerebrosides with nonhydroxy fatty acids was inhibited 40% in one- and two- but not in three-week-old cultures. The results indicate that the nerve cell response to triethyllead in cultures is selective, since the neurons are more sensitive than the glia cells and the labeling of sulfatides is more sensitive than that of cerebrosides

Full Text Available The neural retina is a critical component of the visual system, which provides the majority of sensory input in humans. Various retinal degenerative diseases can result in the permanent loss of retinal neurons, especially the light-sensing photoreceptors and the centrally projecting retinal ganglion cells (RGCs. The replenishment of lost RGCs and the repair of optic nerve damage are particularly challenging, as both RGC specification and their subsequent axonal growth and projection involve complex and precise regulation. To explore the developmental potential of pluripotent stem cell-derived neural progenitors, we have established mouse iPS cells that allow cell lineage tracing of progenitors that have expressed Atoh7/Math5, a bHLH transcription factor required for RGC production. These Atoh7 lineage reporter iPS cells encode Cre to replace one copy of the endogenous Atoh7 gene and a Cre-dependent YFP reporter in the ROSA locus. In addition, they express pluripotent markers and are capable of generating teratomas in vivo. Under anterior neural induction and neurogenic conditions in vitro, the Atoh7-Cre/ROSA-YFP iPS cells differentiate into neurons that co-express various RGC markers and YFP, indicating that these neurons are derived from Atoh7-expressing progenitors. Consistent with previous in vivo cell lineage studies, the Atoh7-Cre/ROSA-YFP iPS cells also give rise to a subset of Crx-positive photoreceptor precursors. Furthermore, inhibition of Notch signaling in the iPSC cultures results in a significant increase of YFP-positive RGCs and photoreceptor precursors. Together, these results show that Atoh7-Cre/ROSA-YFP iPS cells can be used to monitor the development and survival of RGCs and photoreceptors from pluripotent stem cells.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Neural differentiation of embryonic stem (ES cells is usually achieved by induction of ectoderm in embryoid bodies followed by the enrichment of neuronal progenitors using a variety of factors. Obtaining reproducible percentages of neural cells is difficult and the methods are time consuming. Results Neural progenitors were produced from murine ES cells by a combination of nonadherent conditions and serum starvation. Conversion to neural progenitors was accompanied by downregulation of Oct4 and NANOG and increased expression of nestin. ES cells containing a GFP gene under the control of the Sox1 regulatory regions became fluorescent upon differentiation to neural progenitors, and ES cells with a tau-GFP fusion protein became fluorescent upon further differentiation to neurons. Neurons produced from these cells upregulated mature neuronal markers, or differentiated to glial and oligodendrocyte fates. The neurons gave rise to action potentials that could be recorded after application of fixed currents. Conclusion Neural progenitors were produced from murine ES cells by a novel method that induced neuroectoderm cells by a combination of nonadherent conditions and serum starvation, in contrast to the embryoid body method in which neuroectoderm cells must be selected after formation of all three germ layers.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the physiochemical properties and resorption progress of two cross-linked, porcine skin-derived collagen membranes and compare their features with those of a membrane without cross-linking (Bio-Gide ® [BG], Geistlich Biomaterials, Wolhusen, Switzerland). Three porcine skin-derived collagen membranes, dehydrothermally (DHT) cross-linked (experimental), DHT and 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (DHT/EDC) cross-linked (experimental) and BG were investigated for their morphology, enzyme resistance, and tensile strength in vitro and biodegradation in vivo. DHT and DHT/EDC membranes exhibited irregular, interconnected macro- and micropores that formed a 3D mesh, whereas BG exhibited individual collagen fibrils interlaced to form coarse collagen strands. In enzyme resistance and tensile strength tests, DHT and DHT/EDC membranes demonstrated good resistance and mechanical properties compared with BG. In vivo, all three membranes were well integrated into the surrounding connective tissue. Thus, the DHT membrane exhibited its potential as a barrier membrane for guided bone and tissue regeneration.

Hybrid TiO2:polymer photovoltaic cells were made from mixtures of titanium(IV) isopropoxide and poly[2-methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyl)-p-phenylene vinylene] (MDMO-PPV) or poly(3-octyl thiophene) (P3OT) via hydrolysis in air. Cells were made with varying titanium(IV) isopropoxide:polymer ratios.

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS is an immune mediated demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS. A potential new therapeutic approach for MS is cell transplantation which may promote remyelination and suppress the inflammatory process. METHODS: We transplanted human embryonic stem cells (hESC-derived early multipotent neural precursors (NPs into the brain ventricles of mice induced with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE, the animal model of MS. We studied the effect of the transplanted NPs on the functional and pathological manifestations of the disease. RESULTS: Transplanted hESC-derived NPs significantly reduced the clinical signs of EAE. Histological examination showed migration of the transplanted NPs to the host white matter, however, differentiation to mature oligodendrocytes and remyelination were negligible. Time course analysis of the evolution and progression of CNS inflammation and tissue injury showed an attenuation of the inflammatory process in transplanted animals, which was correlated with the reduction of both axonal damage and demyelination. Co-culture experiments showed that hESC-derived NPs inhibited the activation and proliferation of lymph node-derived T cells in response to nonspecific polyclonal stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: The therapeutic effect of transplantation was not related to graft or host remyelination but was mediated by an immunosuppressive neuroprotective mechanism. The attenuation of EAE by hESC-derived NPs, demonstrated here, may serve as the first step towards further developments of hESC for cell therapy in MS.

Full Text Available Summary: Human stem cell models have the potential to provide platforms for phenotypic screens to identify candidate treatments and cellular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Amyloid precursor protein (APP processing and the accumulation of APP-derived amyloid β (Aβ peptides are key processes in Alzheimer's disease (AD. We designed a phenotypic small-molecule screen to identify modulators of APP processing in trisomy 21/Down syndrome neurons, a complex genetic model of AD. We identified the avermectins, commonly used as anthelmintics, as compounds that increase the relative production of short Aβ peptides at the expense of longer, potentially more toxic peptides. Further studies demonstrated that this effect is not due to an interaction with the core γ-secretase responsible for Aβ production. This study demonstrates the feasibility of phenotypic drug screening in human stem cell models of Alzheimer-type dementia, and points to possibilities for indirectly modulating APP processing, independently of γ-secretase modulation. : In this article, Livesey and colleagues perform a phenotypic drug screen in a human stem cell model of Alzheimer's disease. The anthelminthic avermectins are identified as a family of compounds that increase the production of short Aβ peptides over longer more toxic Aβ forms. The effect is analogous to existing γ-secretase modulators, but is independent of the core γ-secretase complex. Keywords: neural stem cells, Alzheimer's disease, phenotypic screening, iPSCs, human neurons, dementia, Down syndrome, amyloid beta, ivermectin, selamectin

Heart valve structures derived from mesenchymal cells of the endocardial cushions (ECs) are composed of highly organized cell lineages and extracellular matrix. Sox9 is a transcription factor required for both early and late stages of cartilage formation that is also expressed in the developing valves of the heart. The requirements for Sox9 function during valvulogenesis and adult valve homeostasis in mice were examined by conditional inactivation of Sox9 using Tie2-cre and Col2a1-cre transgenes. Sox9(flox/flox);Tie2-cre mice die before E14.5 with hypoplastic ECs, reduced cell proliferation and altered extracellular matrix protein (ECM) deposition. Sox9(flox/flox);Col2a1-cre mice die at birth with thickened heart valve leaflets, reduced expression of cartilage-associated proteins and abnormal ECM patterning. Thickened valve leaflets and calcium deposits, characteristic of valve disease, are observed in heterozygous adult Sox9(flox/+);Col2a1-cre mice. Therefore, Sox9 is required early in valve development for expansion of the precursorcell population and later is required for normal expression and distribution of valvular ECM proteins. These data indicate that Sox9 is required for early and late stages of valvulogenesis and identify a potential role for Sox9 in valve disease mechanisms.

Full Text Available Bone homeostasis is tightly regulated to balance bone formation and bone resorption. Many anabolic drugs are used as bone-targeted therapeutic agents for the promotion of osteoblast-mediated bone formation or inhibition of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Previous studies showed that ginsenoside Re has the effect of the suppression of osteoclast differentiation in mouse bone-marrow derived macrophages and zebrafish. Herein, we investigated whether ginsenoside Re affects osteoblast differentiation and mineralization in in vitro and in vivo models. Mouse osteoblast precursor MC3T3-E1 cells were used to investigate cell viability, alkaline phosphatase (ALP activity, and mineralization. In addition, we examined osteoblastic signaling pathways. Ginsenoside Re affected ALP activity without cytotoxicity, and we also observed the stimulation of osteoblast differentiation through the activation of osteoblast markers including runt-related transcription factor 2, type 1 collagen, ALP, and osteocalcin in MC3T3-E1 cells. Moreover, Alizarin red S staining indicated that ginsenoside Re increased osteoblast mineralization in MC3T3-E1 cells and zebrafish scales compared to controls. These results suggest that ginsenoside Re promotes osteoblast differentiation as well as inhibits osteoclast differentiation, and it could be a potential therapeutic agent for bone diseases.

Programmed cell death is a conserved strategy for neural development both in vertebrates and invertebrates and is recognized at various developmental stages in the brain from neurogenesis to adulthood. To understand the development of the central nervous system, it is essential to reveal not only molecular mechanisms but also the role of neural cell death (Pinto-Teixeira et al., 2016). To understand the role of cell death in neural development, we investigated the effect of inhibition of cell death on optic lobe development. Our data demonstrate that, in the optic lobe of Drosophila, cell death occurs in neural precursorcells and neurons before neurite formation and functions to prevent various developmental abnormalities. When neuronal cell death was inhibited by an effector caspase inhibitor, p35, multiple abnormal neuropil structures arose during optic lobe development-e.g., enlarged or fused neuropils, misrouted neurons and abnormal neurite lumps. Inhibition of cell death also induced morphogenetic defects in the lamina and medulla development-e.g., failures in the separation of the lamina and medulla cortices and the medulla rotation. These defects were reproduced in the mutant of an initiator caspase, dronc. If cell death was a mechanism for removing the abnormal neuropil structures, we would also expect to observe them in mutants defective for corpse clearance. However, they were not observed in these mutants. When dead cell-membranes were visualized with Apoliner, they were observed only in cortices and not in neuropils. These results suggest that the cell death occurs before mature neurite formation. Moreover, we found that inhibition of cell death induced ectopic neuroepithelial cells, neuroblasts and ganglion mother cells in late pupal stages, at sites where the outer and inner proliferation centers were located at earlier developmental stages. Caspase-3 activation was observed in the neuroepithelial cells and neuroblasts in the proliferation centers

Mice irradiated with 4 doses of 4,5 Gy X-rays at 3-week intervals, demonstrated long-term proliferative defects in B lymphocytes. There was a reduced mitogenic response to bacterial polysaccharide (30%), a lower concentration (35%) of B-lymphocyte colony-forming cells (BL-CFC) in agar with an increased proportion of clusters (x2), and a reduced concentration (30%) of plaque-forming cells. Grafts of thymocytes were able to restore the levels of BL-CFC in the short term, but in the long term large grafts of femoral marrow cells were much better in restoring the numbers of BL-CFC. The reduced mitogenesis (25%) of splenocytes by concanavalin A and the diminished number of plaque-forming cells, may suggest persistent injury in T-B cell cooperation

The development of thin-film solar cells on flexible, lightweight, space-qualified substrates provides an attractive cost solution to fabricating solar arrays with high specific power (W/kg). Thin-film fabrication studies demonstrate that ternary single source precursors can be used in either a hot, or cold-wall spray chemical vapour deposition reactor, for depositing CuInS{sub 2}, CuGaS{sub 2} and CuGaInS{sub 2} at reduced temperatures (400-450 sign C), which display good electrical and optical properties suitable for photovoltaic devices. X-ray diffraction studies, energy dispersive spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy confirmed the formation of the single phase CIS, CGS, CIGS thin-films on various substrates at reduced temperatures.

The development of thin-film solar cells on flexible, lightweight, space-qualified substrates provides an attractive cost solution to fabricating solar arrays with high specific power (W/kg). Thin-film fabrication studies demonstrate that ternary single source precursors (SSP's) can be used in either a hot or cold-wall spray chemical vapour deposition (CVD) reactor, for depositing CuInS2, CuGaS2, and CuGaInS2 at reduced temperatures (400 to 450 C), which display good electrical and optical properties suitable for photovoltaic (PV) devices. X-ray diffraction studies, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the formation of the single phase CIS, CGS, CIGS thin-films on various substrates at reduced temperatures.

Full Text Available The potential gap junction forming mouse connexin29 (Cx29 protein is concomitantly expressed with connexin32 (Cx32 in peripheral myelin forming Schwann cells and together with both Cx32 and connexin47 (Cx47 in oligodendrocytes of the CNS. To study the genomic structure and functional expression of Cx29, either primary cells or cell culture systems might be selected, from which the latter are easier to cultivate. Both structure and expression of Cx29 is still not fully understood. In the mouse sciatic nerve, brain and the oligodendroglial precursorcell line Oli-neu the Cx29 gene is processed in two transcript isoforms both harbouring a unique reading frame. In contrast to Cx32 and Cx47, only Cx29 protein is abundantly expressed in undifferentiated as well as differentiated Oli-neu cells but the absence of Etbr dye transfer after microinjection concealed the function of Cx29 mediated gap junction communication between those cells. Although HeLa cells stably transfected with Cx29 or Cx29-eGFP neither demonstrated any permeability for Lucifer yellow nor for neurobiotin, blocking of Etbr uptake from the media by gap junction blockers does suppose a role of Cx29 in hemi-channel function. Thus, we conclude that, due to its high abundance of Cx29 expression and its reproducible culture conditions, the oligodendroglial precursorcell line Oli-neu might constitute an appropriate cell culture system to study molecular mechanisms or putative extracellular stimuli to functionally open Cx29 channels or hemi-channels.

The authors have recently demonstrated in vitro proliferation of mouse Thy-1 + dendritic epidermal cells (EC) to Con A and IL-2. The purpose of the present study was to utilize limiting dilution analysis to determine the precursor frequency (PF) of Con A-responsive cells within EC enriched by Isolymph centrifugation for Thy-1 + cells (IEC). AKR IEC were cultured in 96 well U-plates (25-75 cells/well) with 2 μg/ml Con A and 2 x 10 5 irradiated (1600 R) AKR spleen cells/well. Cultures were harvested after 7-21 days following 3 H-thymidine pulsing. Results indicated a PF within IEC of 1.5-4.5%. Inclusion of 10 U/ml IL-2 enhanced significantly the proliferation in positive wells but did not alter this PF. In AKR mice, monoclonal antibody 20-10-5S has been shown to react with Thy-1 + EC, but not with peripheral T cells. FACS purification of IEC using 20-10-5S indicated that Con A responsiveness resides exclusively within the 20-10-5S + population. The PF of Con A-responsive Thy-1 + EC was calculated by dividing the PF of IEC by the fraction of 20-10-5S + cells (13-30%) in the IEC suspension. A significant proportion of Thy-1 + EC (∼12%) were found to possess Con A proliferative capacity. These studies will facilitate analysis at a clonal level of possible functional and phenotypic heterogeneity within the Thy-1 + EC population

Silver indium sulfide (AgInS{sub 2}) thin films are deposited by sequential sputtering of metallic precursor [Ag/In] followed by sulfurization. Effect of substrate temperature (T{sub sub}) during sulfurization process on the film growth is studied by varying the substrate temperature from 350 to 500 °C. Films prepared above 350 °C showed a mixture of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases of AgInS{sub 2} with tetragonal phase being dominant. Better crystalline, nearly stoichiometric and p-type films are obtained at a substrate temperature of 500 °C. The characteristic A{sub 1} mode of AgInS{sub 2} chalcopyrite structure is observed in the Raman spectra at 274 cm{sup −1} for the films prepared above 350 °C. The grain size of the film increases from 489 to 895 nm with the increase in substrate temperature. The binding energies of the constituent elements are determined using XPS. The band gap of AgInS{sub 2} films is in the range of 1.64–1.92 eV and the absorption coefficient is found to be > 10{sup 4} cm{sup −1}. Preliminary studies on the AgInS{sub 2}/ZnS solar cell showed an efficiency of 0.3%. - Highlights: • AgInS{sub 2} films are grown by sulfurization of sputtered metal precursors. • Effect of substrate temperature on the growth of AgInS{sub 2} films is studied. • Films sulfurized at 500 °C have the best structural and opto-electrical properties. • AgInS{sub 2}/ZnS solar cell has been fabricated with an efficiency of ~ 0.3%.

Here, we describe optimal conditions for the culture of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) pre-adipocytes obtained from adipose tissue and their differentiation into mature adipocytes, in order to study the endocrine control of adipogenesis. Pre-adipocytes were isolated by collagenase digestion and cultured on laminin or 1% gelatin substrate. The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen was used as a marker of cell proliferation on various days of culture. Insulin growth factor-I stimulated cell proliferation especially on days 5 and 7 of culture. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) slightly enhanced cell proliferation only at a low dose. We verified the differentiation of cells grown in specific medium into mature adipocytes by oil red O (ORO) staining. Quantification of ORO showed an increase in triglycerides throughout culture. Immunofluorescence staining of cells at day 11 revealed the expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein and peroxisome proliferator-activator receptor gamma, suggesting that these transcriptional factors are involved in adipocyte differentiation in trout. We also examined the effect of TNFalpha on the differentiation of these adipocytes in primary culture. TNFalpha inhibited the differentiation of these cells, as indicated by a decrease in glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, an established marker of adipocyte differentiation. In conclusion, the culture system described here for trout pre-adipocytes is a powerful tool to study the endocrine regulation of adipogenesis in this species.

Thin films of chalcogenide compounds are promising because they have excellent optoelectronic characteristics to be applied in solar cells. In particular, CuInSe 2 and Cd Te thin films have shown high solar to electrical conversion efficiency. However, this efficiency is limited by the method of preparation, in this case, physical vapor deposition techniques are used. In order to increase the area of deposition t is necessary to use chemical methods, for example, electrodeposition technique. In this paper, the preparation of Cu-In-Se precursors thin films by electrochemical method is reported. These precursors were used to build solar cells with 7.9 % of efficiency. (Author)

Sensitivity to 10 anticancer drugs was evaluated in 6 childhood B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) cell lines. Authenticity of newly established cell lines was confirmed by genomic fingerprinting. The line YCUB-5R established at relapse was more resistant to 4-hydroperoxy-cyclophosphamide, cytarabine, L-asparaginase, topotecan, fludarabine, and etoposide than YCUB-5 from the same patient at diagnosis. Of the drugs tested, etoposide and SN-38 (irinotecan) showed highest efficacy in the panel, with 50% growth inhibition at 0.22-1.8 microg/ml and 0.57-3.6 ng/ml, respectively. This cell line panel offers an in vitro model for the development of new therapies for childhood BCP-ALL.

The regeneration of hemopoietic precursorcells (colony-forming cells, CFC) was monitored in spleen organ cultures from lethally irradiated mice injected with 10(7) normal syngeneic or allogeneic bone marrow cells. The important role of the microenvironment in supporting hemopoiesis was confirmed by the failure of mutant S1/S1d spleens to support CFC regeneration in organ cultures. However, the extent and quality of the CFC regeneration was clearly dependent on the genetic properties of the injected cells. Evidence for this was obtained from the regeneration patterns of various CFC types in organ cultured spleens derived from different mouse donor-recipient strain combinations (CBA/CBA, CBA/C57BL, CBA/BALB/c, C57BL/C57BL, C57BL/CBA, C57BL/BALB/c) that maintained the differences in the bone marrow frequency of various CFC types characteristic of the donor strain

Summary The bacterial actin homolog MreB, which is critical for rod shape determination, forms filaments that rotate around the cell width on the inner surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. What determines filament association with the membranes or with other cell wall elongation proteins is not known. Using specific chemical and genetic perturbations while following MreB filament motion, we find that MreB membrane association is an actively regulated process that depends on the presence of li...

of hMGE progenitors (obtained from hPSCs expanded from human embryonic stem cells) that were transduced with DREADDs through CRISPR/Cas9 technology...regions and cell layers of the hippocampus, which include the subgranular zone and the dentate hilus in the dentate gyrus, and strata oriens and...have migrated extensively in the dentate hilus (A3) and into different layers of the CA1 subfield. DG, dentate gyrus; DH, dentate hilus; GCL, granule

Full Text Available In 1990s, reports of discovery of a small group of cells capable of proliferation and contribution to formation of new neurons in the central nervous system (CNS reversed a century-old concept on lack of neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain. These cells are found in all stages of human life and contribute to normal cellular turnover of the CNS. Therefore, the identity of regulating factors that affect their proliferation and differentiation is a highly noteworthy issue for basic scientists and their clinician counterparts for therapeutic purposes. The cues for such control are embedded in developmental and environmental signaling through a highly regulated tempo-spatial expression of specific transcription factors. Novel findings indicate the importance of reactive oxygen species (ROS in the regulation of this signaling system. The elusive nature of ROS signaling in many vital processes from cell proliferation to cell death creates a complex literature in this field. Here, we discuss the emerging thoughts on the importance of redox regulation of proliferation and maintenance in mammalian neural stem and progenitor cells under physiological and pathological conditions. The current knowledge on ROS-mediated changes in redox-sensitive proteins that govern the molecular mechanisms in proliferation and differentiation of these cells is reviewed.

Different molecules are available to recruit new neighboring myogenic cells to the site of regeneration. Formerly called B cell stimulatory factor-1, IL-4 can now be included in the list of motogenic factors. The present report demonstrates that human IL-4 is not required for fusion between mononucleated myoblasts but is required for myotube maturation. In identifying IL-4 as a pro-migratory agent for myogenic cells, these results provide a mechanism which partly explains IL-4 demonstrated activity during differentiation. Among the different mechanisms by which IL-4 might enhance myoblast migration processes, our results indicate that there are implications of some integrins and of three major components of the fibrinolytic system. Indeed, increases in the amount of active urokinase plasminogen activator and its receptor were observed following an IL-4 treatment, while the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 decreased. Finally, IL-4 did not modify the amount of cell surface α5 integrin but increased the presence of β3 and β1 integrins. This integrin modulation might favor myogenic cell migration and its interaction with newly formed myotubes. Therefore, IL-4 co-injection with transplanted myoblasts might be an approach to enhance the migration of transplanted cells for the treatment of a damaged myocardium or of a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patient

Methacrylate-embedded sections and short-survival thymidine radiograms of the hippocampal dentate gyrus were examined in perinatal and postnatal rats in order to trace the site of origin and migration of the precursors of granule cells and study the morphogenesis of the granular layer. The densely packed, spindle-shaped cells of the secondary dentate matrix (a derivative of the primary dentate neuroepithelium) stream in a subpial position towards the granular layer of the internal dentate limb during the perinatal and early postnatal periods. By an accretionary process, the crest of the granular layer forms on day E21 and on the subsequent days the granular layer of the internal dentate limb expands progressively in a lateral direction. Granule cells differentiation, as judged by the transformation of polymorph, darkly staining small cells into rounder, lightly staining larger granule cells, follows the same gradient from the external dentate limb to the internal dentate limb. The secondary dentate matrix is in a process of dissolution by day P5. This matrix is the source of what will later become the outer shell of the granular layer composed of early generated granule cells. The thicker inner shell of the granular layer, formed during the infantile and juvenile periods, derives from an intrinsic, tertiary germinal matrix. On day E22, the dentate migration of the secondary dentate matrix becomes partitioned into two components: (a) the subpial component of extradentate origin, referred to in this context as the first dentate migration, and (b) the second dentate migration. The latter is distributed in the basal polymorph layer throughout the entire dentate gyrus and is henceforth recognized as the tertiary dentate matrix. The tertiary dentate matrix is prominent between days P3 and P10

Recent studies revealed that a substantial proportion of patients with high-risk B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) harbor fusions involving tyrosine kinase and cytokine receptors, such as ABL1, PDGFRB, JAK2 and CRLF2, which are targeted by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). In the present study, transcriptome analysis or multiplex reverse transcriptase–PCR analysis of 373 BCP-ALL patients without recurrent genetic abnormalities identified 29 patients with kinase fusions. Clinically, male predominance (male/female: 22/7), older age at onset (mean age at onset: 8.8 years) and a high white blood cell count at diagnosis (mean: 94 200/μl) reflected the predominance of National Cancer Institute high-risk (NCI-HR) patients (NCI-standard risk/HR: 8/21). Genetic analysis identified three patients with ABL1 rearrangements, eight with PDGFRB rearrangements, two with JAK2 rearrangements, three with IgH-EPOR and one with NCOR1-LYN. Of the 14 patients with CRLF2 rearrangements, two harbored IgH-EPOR and PDGFRB rearrangements. IKZF1 deletion was present in 16 of the 22 patients. The 5-year event-free and overall survival rates were 48.6±9.7% and 73.5±8.6%, respectively. The outcome was not satisfactory without sophisticated minimal residual disease-based stratification. Furthermore, the efficacy of TKIs combined with conventional chemotherapy without allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in this cohort should be determined

Full Text Available We report the differentiation of neural stem and progenitor cells solely induced by direct current (DC pulses stimulation. Neural stem and progenitor cells in the adult mammalian brain are promising candidates for the development of therapeutic neuroregeneration strategies. The differentiation of neural stem and progenitor cells depends on various in vivo environmental factors, such as nerve growth factor and endogenous EF. In this study, we demonstrated that the morphologic and phenotypic changes of mouse neural stem and progenitor cells (mNPCs could be induced solely by exposure to square-wave DC pulses (magnitude 300 mV/mm at frequency of 100-Hz. The DC pulse stimulation was conducted for 48 h, and the morphologic changes of mNPCs were monitored continuously. The length of primary processes and the amount of branching significantly increased after stimulation by DC pulses for 48 h. After DC pulse treatment, the mNPCs differentiated into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes simultaneously in stem cell maintenance medium. Our results suggest that simple DC pulse treatment could control the fate of NPCs. With further studies, DC pulses may be applied to manipulate NPC differentiation and may be used for the development of therapeutic strategies that employ NPCs to treat nervous system disorders.

We report the differentiation of neural stem and progenitor cells solely induced by direct current (DC) pulses stimulation. Neural stem and progenitor cells in the adult mammalian brain are promising candidates for the development of therapeutic neuroregeneration strategies. The differentiation of neural stem and progenitor cells depends on various in vivo environmental factors, such as nerve growth factor and endogenous EF. In this study, we demonstrated that the morphologic and phenotypic changes of mouse neural stem and progenitor cells (mNPCs) could be induced solely by exposure to square-wave DC pulses (magnitude 300 mV/mm at frequency of 100-Hz). The DC pulse stimulation was conducted for 48 h, and the morphologic changes of mNPCs were monitored continuously. The length of primary processes and the amount of branching significantly increased after stimulation by DC pulses for 48 h. After DC pulse treatment, the mNPCs differentiated into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes simultaneously in stem cell maintenance medium. Our results suggest that simple DC pulse treatment could control the fate of NPCs. With further studies, DC pulses may be applied to manipulate NPC differentiation and may be used for the development of therapeutic strategies that employ NPCs to treat nervous system disorders.

Radiotherapeutic activity of histone fractions H 1 and H 2A /H 2B were studied. It was demonstrated that both fractions are able to reduce the damaging effect of ionizing radiation on spleen colony forming unit (CFU-S) population. Histone preparations stimulated colony-forming activity of bone marrow cells exposed to dose of 0.5-3.0 Gy both in the case of incubation with preparations and intravenous or intraperitoneal administration into recipients of irradiated cells. The effect of histones and accessory thymocytes on CFU-S population is compared

to the cell nuclei in a model cellular system. This may be driven by bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) that is cryptic in the full-length PDYN molecule and becomes functional when signal peptide is truncated. Nuclear PDYN isoform was identified by western blot and radioimmunoassay in neuronal nuclei...

Cu-In-S precursor films were deposited at various substrate temperatures by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). CuIn(S,Se){sub 2} films were prepared by post-annealing the Cu-In-S precursor films in H{sub 2}S and Se atmosphere. CuIn(S,Se){sub 2} solar cells with a device structure of Au/ITO/i-ZnO/CdS/CuIn(S,Se){sub 2}/Mo/soda-lime (SLG) glass were fabricated and characterized. Higher conversion efficiency was obtained for the CuIn(S,Se){sub 2} solar cell with the precursor film deposited at room temperature. The phase and microstructure of the Cu-In-S precursor and the annealed CuIn(S,Se){sub 2} films were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We found that the quality of the CuIn(S,Se){sub 2} films was strongly affected by the deposition temperature of Cu-In-S precursor films. We discuss the grain growth and sintering in CuIn(S,Se){sub 2} films on the basis of the results of XRD and SEM. The highest conversion efficiency of 6.38% (V{sub oc}= 521 mV, J{sub sc}= 22.6 mA cm{sup -2}, FF = 0.541) was obtained for the CuIn(S,Se){sub 2} solar cell with the precursor film deposited at room temperature and post-annealed at 620 C. The solar cell was analyzed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The regeneration of hemopoietic precursorcells was monitored in spleen organ cultures from lethally irradiated mice injected with 10(7) normal syngeneic or allogeneic bone marrow cells. The important role of the microenvironment in supporting hemopoiesis was confirmed by the failure of mutant Sl/Sld spleens to support CFC regeneration in organ cultures. However, the extent and quality of the CFC regeneration was clearly dependent on the genetic properties of the injected cells. Evidence for this was obtained from the regeneration patterns of various CFC types in organ cultured spleens derived from different mouse donor-recipient strain combinations that maintained the differences in the bone marrow frequency of various CFC types characteristic of the donor strain

Full Text Available In glioblastoma multiforme (GBM, brain-tumor-initiating cells (BTICs with cancer stem cell characteristics have been identified and proposed as primordial cells responsible for disease initiation, recurrence, and therapeutic resistance. However, the extent to which individual, patient-derived BTIC lines reflect the heterogeneity of GBM remains poorly understood. Here we applied a stem cell biology approach and compared self-renewal, marker expression, label retention, and asymmetric cell division in 20 BTIC lines. Through cluster analysis, we identified two subgroups of BTIC lines with distinct precursor states, stem- or progenitor-like, predictive of survival after xenograft. Moreover, stem and progenitor transcriptomic signatures were identified, which showed a strong association with the proneural and mesenchymal subtypes, respectively, in the TCGA cohort. This study proposes a different framework for the study and use of BTIC lines and provides precursor biology insights into GBM.

The accessory lacrimal glands (ALGs) are an understudied component of the tear functional unit, even though they are important in the development of dry eye syndrome (DES). To advance our understanding of aging changes, regenerative potential, and histologic correlates to human characteristics, we investigated human ALG tissue from surgical samples to determine the presence or absence of progenitor cell markers and lacrimal epithelial markers and to correlate marker expression to relevant patient characteristics. ALG tissues obtained from Muller's muscle conjunctival resection (MMCR) specimens were created using tissue microarrays (TMAs). Immunofluorescence staining of MMCR sections was performed using primary antibodies specific to cell protein markers. Cell marker localization in TMAs was then assessed by two blinded observers using a standardized scoring system. Patient characteristics including age, race, and status of ocular surface health were then compared against expression of stem cell markers. Human ALG expressed a number of epithelial markers, and in particular, histatin-1 was well correlated with the expression of epithelial markers and was present in most acini. In addition, we noted the presence of precursorcell markers nestin, ABCG2, and CD90 in ALG tissue. There was a decrease in precursorcell marker expression with increasing age. Finally, we noted that a negative association was present between histatin-1 expression and DES. Thus, we report for the first time that human ALG tissues contain precursor marker-positive cells and that this marker expression may decrease with increasing age. Moreover, histatin-1 expression may be decreased in DES. Future studies will be performed to use these cell markers to isolate and culture lacrimal epithelial cells from heterogeneous tissues, determine the relevance of histatin-1 expression to DES, and isolate candidate precursorcells from ALG tissue.

Purpose The accessory lacrimal glands (ALG) are an understudied component of the tear functional unit, even though they are important in the development of dry eye syndrome (DES). To advance our understanding of aging changes, regenerative potential and histologic correlates to human characteristics, we investigated human ALG tissue from surgical samples to determine the presence or absence of progenitor cell markers and lacrimal epithelial markers and to correlate marker expression to relevant patient characteristics. Materials and Methods ALG tissues obtained from Muller’s Muscle Conjunctival Resection (MMCR) specimens were created using tissue microarrays (TMAs). Immunofluorescence staining of MMCR sections was performed using primary antibodies specific to cell protein markers. Cell marker localization in TMAs was then assessed by two blinded observers using a standardized scoring system. Patient characteristics including age, race, and status of ocular surface health were then compared against expression of stem cell markers. Results Human ALG expressed a number of epithelial markers, and in particular, histatin-1 was well correlated with the expression of epithelial markers and was present in most acini. In addition, we noted the presence of precursorcell markers nestin, ABCG2 and CD90 in ALG tissue. There was a decrease in precursorcell marker expression with increasing age. Finally, we noted that a negative association was present between histatin-1 expression and DES. Conclusions Thus, we report for the first time that human ALG tissues contain precursor marker positive cells and that this marker expression may decrease with increasing age. Moreover, histatin-1 expression may be decreased in DES. Future studies will be performed to use these cell markers to isolate and culture lacrimal epithelial cells from heterogeneous tissues, determine the relevance of histatin-1 expression to DES and isolate candidate precursorcells from ALG tissue. PMID:27612554

In this study we examine the integrity of the cell wall during scale up of a yeast fermentation process from laboratory scale (10 L) to industrial scale (10,000 L). In a previous study we observed a clear difference in the volume fraction occupied by yeast cells as revealed by wet cell weight (WCW) measurements between these scales. That study also included metabolite analysis which suggested hypoxia during scale up. Here we hypothesize that hypoxia weakens the yeast cell wall during the scale up, leading to changes in cell permeability, and/or cell mechanical resistance, which in turn may lead to the observed difference in WCW. We tested the cell wall integrity by probing the cell wall sensitivity to Zymolyase. Also exometabolomics data showed changes in supply of precursors for the glycosylation pathway. The results show a more sensitive cell wall later in the production process at industrial scale, while the sensitivity at early time points was similar at both scales. We also report exometabolomics data, in particular a link with the protein glycosylation pathway. Significantly lower levels of Man6P and progressively higher GDP-mannose indicated partially impaired incorporation of this sugar nucleotide during co- or post-translational protein glycosylation pathways at the 10,000 L compared to the 10 L scale. This impairment in glycosylation would be expected to affect cell wall integrity. Although cell viability from samples obtained at both scales were similar, cells harvested from 10 L bioreactors were able to re-initiate growth faster in fresh shake flask media than those harvested from the industrial scale. The results obtained help explain the WCW differences observed at both scales by hypoxia-triggered weakening of the yeast cell wall during the scale up.

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The NPPCs from mouse pancreas were isolated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tet-on system for SV40 large in NPPCs was used to get RINPPCs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The RINPPCs can undergo at least 80 population doublings without senescence. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The RINPPCs can be induced to differentiate into insulin-producing cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The combination of GLP-1 and sodium butyrate promoted the differentiation process. -- Abstract: Pancreatic stem cells or progenitor cells posses the ability of directed differentiation into pancreatic {beta} cells. However, these cells usually have limited proliferative capacity and finite lifespan in vitro. In the present study, Nestin-positive progenitor cells (NPPCs) from mouse pancreas that expressed the pancreatic stem cells or progenitor cell marker Nestin were isolated to obtain a sufficient number of differentiated pancreatic {beta} cells. Tet-on system for SV40 large T-antigen expression in NPPCs was used to achieve reversible immortalization. The reversible immortal Nestin-positive progenitor cells (RINPPCs) can undergo at least 80 population doublings without senescence in vitro while maintaining their biological and genetic characteristics. RINPPCs can be efficiently induced to differentiate into insulin-producing cells that contain a combination of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and sodium butyrate. The results of the present study can be used to explore transplantation therapy of type I diabetes mellitus.

The effect of ceruloplasmine on erythroid colony forming unit (CFU-e) of irradiated mice was investigated. Whole body #betta# ray irradiation of 100rad decreased the number of CFU-e from 154 to 40 per 4 * 10 4 myeloid nucleated cells. When human #betta#-globulin of 1 mg/kg or ceruloplasmin of 1 mg/kg was administrated immediately after irradiation, the number of CFU-e increased to that of more than normal and normal value in 2 days, respectively. In the case where ceruloplasmin was begun to administrated 7 days before irradiation, though the CFU-e number decreased from 144 to 44, the number increased to 317 after 2 days, and gradually decreased to the normal value by 16 days after irradiation. (Nakanishi, T)

We have conducted a series of experiments to characterize the lesions that are precursors of cutaneous papillomas in SENCAR mice initiated with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and promoted with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). The first grossly detectable lesions at sites where papillomas subsequently developed were papules, slightly raised areas of skin ranging in diameter from 0.25 to approximately 1.5 mm. Papules were first detected in DMBA-initiated mice 21 days after the start of dosing with TPA. Of 78 DMBA/TPA-induced papules tracked during 15 weeks of TPA treatments, 68% progressed to papillomas, 9% persisted as papules, and 22% completely regressed. Histological evaluation of serial sections of 69 DMBA/TPA-induced papules revealed that they were focal hyperplastic lesions that we refer to as squamous cell hyperplastic foci (SCHF). These hyperproliferative lesions appeared to progress through two distinct stages. Stage I SCHF were characterized as regular hyperplastic foci involving the interfollicular epidermis and the outer root sheaths of 1 or more hair follicles down to the level of the sebaceous glands. Stage II SCHF were foci of irregular epithelial hyperplasia with increased fibrovascular stroma and involved from 3 to >10 hair follicles. Prominent dilated capillaries and inflammatory cell infiltrates were frequently associated with both stage I and II SCHF. Ha-ras gene codon 61 mutations were detected in 7 of 10 stage I SCHF and 13 of 14 stage II SCHF microdissected from histological sections and 7 of 7 of whole papules by mutation-specific PCR analysis. These data provide molecular evidence that SCHF are foci of initiated cells. Further study of these lesions may contribute to more fully defining the sequence of molecular and cellular changes necessary for tumorigenesis in mouse skin. SCHF may also have utility as early indicators of potential skin tumorigenicity in cancer bioassays.

The aim of this study was to investigate quercetin's (Qu) ability to promote proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursorcells (OPCs) under oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced injury in vitro. The results showed that after OGD, OPCs survival rate was significantly increased by Qu as measured by Cell Counting Kit-8. Furthermore, Qu treatment reduced apoptosis of OPCs surveyed by Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining. Qu at 9 and 27 μM promoted the proliferation of OPCs the most by Brdu and Olig2 immunocytochemical staining after OGD 3 days. Also, Qu treatment for 8 days after OGD, the differentiation of OPCs to oligodendrocyte was detected by immunofluorescence staining showing that O4, Olig2, and myelin basic protein (MBP) positive cells were significantly increased compared to control group. Additionally, the protein levels of Olig2 and MBP of OPCs were quantified using western blot and mRNA levels of Olig2 and Inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2) were measured by RT-PCR. Western blot showed a significant increase in Olig2 and MBP expression levels compared with controls after OGD and Qu treatment with a linear does-response curve from 3 to 81 μM. After treatment with Qu compared to its control group, Olig2 mRNA level was significantly up-regulated, whereas Id2 mRNA level was down-regulated. In conclusion, Qu at 3-27 μM can promote the proliferation and differentiation of OPCs after OGD injury and may regulate the activity of Olig2 and Id2.

Promotion of remyelination is an important therapeutic strategy to facilitate functional recovery after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) or oligodendrocyte precursorcells (OPCs) has been used to enhance remyelination after SCI. However, the microenvironment in the injured spinal cord is inhibitory for oligodendrocyte (OL) differentiation of NSCs or OPCs. Identifying the signaling pathways that inhibit OL differentiation in the injured spinal cor...

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an inherited disease that leads to progressive muscle wasting. Myogenic precursorcell transplantation is an approach that can introduce the normal dystrophin gene in the muscle fibers of the patients. Unfortunately, these myogenic precursorcells do not migrate well in the muscle and thus many injections have to be done to enable a good graft success. Recent reports have shown that there is extensive splicing of the IGF-1 gene in muscles. The MGF isoform contains a C-terminal 24 amino acids peptide in the E domain (MGF-Ct24E) that has intrinsic properties. It can promote the proliferation while delaying the differentiation of C 2 C 12 cells. Here, we demonstrated that this synthetic peptide is a motogenic factor for human precursor myogenic cells in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, MGF-Ct24E peptide can modulate members of the fibrinolytic and metalloproteinase systems, which are implicated in the migration of myogenic cells. MGF-Ct24E peptide enhances the expression of u-PA, u-PAR and MMP-7 while reducing PAI-1 activity. Moreover, it has no effect on the gelatinases MMP-2 and -9. Those combined effects can favour cell migration. Finally, we present some results suggesting that the MGF-Ct24E peptide induces these cell responses through a mechanism that does not involve the IGF-1 receptor. Thus, this MGF-Ct24E peptide has a new pro-migratory activity on human myogenic precursorcells that may be helpful in the treatment of DMD. Those results reinforce the possibility that the IGF-1Ec isoform may produce an E domain peptide that can act as a cytokine

Using modern stereology, this study was carried out to obtain base-line data concerning three-dimensional, mean nuclear size in precancerous and invasive lesions of the uterine cervix. Unbiased estimates of the volume-weighted mean nuclear volume (nuclear vv) were obtained by point-sampling of nu......Using modern stereology, this study was carried out to obtain base-line data concerning three-dimensional, mean nuclear size in precancerous and invasive lesions of the uterine cervix. Unbiased estimates of the volume-weighted mean nuclear volume (nuclear vv) were obtained by point......-sampling of nuclear intercepts in 51 pre-treatment biopsies from patients with invasive squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). Vertical sections from 27 specimens with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grades I through III were also investigated, along with 10 CIN III associated with microinvasion (CIN III + M......). On average, nuclear vv was larger in SCC than in CIN III and CIN III + M together (2 P = 8.9 . 10(-5). A conspicuous overlap of nuclear vv existed between all investigated lesional groups. The reproducibility of estimates of nuclear vv in biopsies with SCC was acceptable (r = 0.85 and r = 0.84 in intra...

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolytes were deposited by suspension plasma spraying (SPS) and solution precursor plasma spraying (SPPS). The electrolytes were evaluated for permeability, microstructure, and electrochemical performance. With SPS, three different suspensions were tested to explore the influence of powder size distribution and liquid properties. Electrolytes made from suspensions of a powder with d50 = 2.6 μm were more gas-tight than those made from suspensions of a powder with d50 = 0.6 μm. A peak open circuit voltage of 1.00 V was measured at 750 °C with a cell with an electrolyte made from a suspension of d50 = 2.6 μm powder. The use of a flammable suspension liquid was beneficial for improving electrolyte conductivity when using lower energy plasmas, but the choice of liquid was less important when using higher energy plasmas. With SPPS, peak electrolyte conductivities were comparable to the peak conductivities of the SPS electrolytes. However, leak rates through the SPPS electrolytes were higher than those through the electrolytes made from suspensions of d50 = 2.6 μm powder. The electrochemical test data on SPPS electrolytes are the first reported in the literature.

To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture on the expression of oligodendrocyte precursorcells in rats with compressed spinal cord injury (CSCI) and to explore the mechanism of remyelinization. Thirty-six SD rats were randomly divided into a control group and three treatment groups with 3 d, 7 d and 14 d of treatment respectively. Acupuncture was given to rats in the treatment groups through jiaji point, double zusanli (ST36), and double taixi (KI3). Electroacupuncture (continuous wave, 2 Hz/1. 5 V, 30 min) was applied for the double zusanli (ST36) and double taixi (KI3). Ethological alterations of the rats were observed with quantitative assessment of neurologic function. The ultrastructure changes of nerve fibers in white matter were determined under electronic microscope. Expressions of NG2 protein, an OPC marker, was observed by Western blot. No significant changes in neurologic function and G-ratio were observed after three days and seven days of electroacupuncture treatment (P>0. 05). However, 14 d of electroacupuncture treatment made a significant change compared to the 7 d treatment group and the control group (PElectroacupuncture can improve inflammation and edema in the injured nerve fibers and up regulate NG2 expression and remyelination of the injured nerve fibers in rats with CSCI.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Neural precursorcells (NPCs are defined by their ability to proliferate, self-renew, and retain the potential to differentiate into neurons and glia. Deciphering the factors that regulate their behaviors will greatly aid in their use as potential therapeutic agents or targets. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs are prominent components of the extracellular matrix (ECM in the central nervous system (CNS and are assumed to play important roles in controlling neuronal differentiation and development. Results In the present study, we demonstrated that CSPGs were constitutively expressed on the NPCs isolated from the E16 rat embryonic brain. When chondroitinase ABC was used to abolish the function of endogenous CSPGs on NPCs, it induced a series of biological responses including the proliferation, differentiation and migration of NPCs, indicating that CSPGs may play a critical role in NPC development and differentiation. Finally, we provided evidence suggesting that integrin signaling pathway may be involved in the effects of CSPGs on NPCs. Conclusion The present study investigating the influence and mechanisms of CSPGs on the differentiation and migration of NPCs should help us to understand the basic biology of NPCs during CNS development and provide new insights into developing new strategies for the treatment of the neurological disorders in the CNS.

Full Text Available Pao-Yen Lin1,2 1Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 2Center for Translational Research in Biomedical Sciences, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Abstract: Evidence has supported the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF in antidepressant effect. The precursor of BDNF (proBDNF often exerts opposing biological effects on mature BDNF (mBDNF. Hence, the balance between proBDNF and mBDNF might be critical in total neurotrophic effects, leading to susceptibility to or recovery from depression. In the current study, we measured the protein expression levels of proBDNF, and its proteolytic products, truncated BDNF, and mBDNF, in human SH-SY5Y cells treated with different antidepressants. We found that the treatment significantly increased the production of mBDNF, but decreased the production of truncated BDNF and proBDNF. These results support that antidepressants can promote proBDNF cleavage. Further studies are needed to clarify whether proBDNF cleavage plays a role in antidepressant mechanisms. Keywords: antidepressant, mature BDNF, neurotrophic effect, proBDNF cleavage

Innate lymphoid cells are a heterogeneous family of tissue-resident and circulating lymphocytes that play an important role in host immunity. Recent studies have profiled the developmental pathways of mature ILCs and have identified ILC progenitors in the bone marrow through the use of transcription factor reporter mice. Here we describe methodology to identify and isolate bone marrow CHILP and ILC2 progenitor (ILC2P) cells based on cell surface marker expression for adoptive transfer into lymphopenic mice to track the fate of developing ILCs.

Chromosomal translocations involving the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) locus are common abnormalities in mature B-cell neoplasms. Recent findings have also revealed their significant role in B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. As a rule, IGH translocations generate transcriptional activation of the oncogene localized in the proximity of the breakpoint. In this study, we describe a pediatric case of B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia showing microRNA-125b-1 (MIR125B1) and BLID gene overexpression, resulting from a novel t(11;14)(q24.1;q32) translocation involving IGH. This is the first report describing the upregulation of a microRNA due to its juxtaposition to protein-coding gene regulatory elements and the overexpression of two neighboring genes as a consequence of transcriptional enhancers localized in the vicinity of the IGH gene.

Blinatumomab can induce a complete haematological remission in patients in 46.6% with relapsed/refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (r/r ALL) resulting in a survival benefit when compared with chemotherapy. Only bone marrow blast counts before therapy have shown a weak prediction of response. Here we investigated the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs), measured by CD4/CD25/FOXP3 expression, in predicting the outcome of immunotherapy with the CD19-directed bispecific T-cell engager construct blinatumomab. Blinatumomab responders (n=22) had an average of 4.82% Tregs (confidence interval (CI): 1.79-8.34%) in the peripheral blood, whereas non-responders (n=20) demonstrated 10.25% Tregs (CI: 3.36-65.9%). All other tested markers showed either no prediction value or an inferior prediction level including blast BM counts and the classical enzyme marker lactate dehydrogenase. With a cutoff of 8.525%, Treg enumeration can identify 100% of all blinatumomab responders and exclude 70% of the non-responders. The effect is facilitated by blinatumomab-activated Tregs, leading to interleukin-10 production, resulting in suppression of T-cell proliferation and reduced CD8-mediated lysis of ALL cells. Proliferation of patients' T cells can be restored by upfront removal of Tregs. Thus, enumeration of Treg identifies r/r ALL patients with a high response rate to blinatumomab. Therapeutic removal of Tregs may convert blinatumomab non-responders to responders.

This invention pertains to a distinctive thermoset precursor which is prepared by mixing a resin composition (A) which can be hardened by ionizing radiation, and a resin composition (B) which can be hardened by heat but cannot be hardened by, or is resistant to, ionizing radiation, and by coating or impregnating a molding or other substrate with a sheet or film of this mixture and irradiating this with an ionizing radiation. The principal components of composition (A) and (B) can be the following: (1) an acrylate or methacrylate and an epoxy resin and an epoxy resin hardener; (2) an unsaturated polyester resin and epoxy resin and an epoxy resin hardener; (3) a diacrylate or dimethacrylate or polyethylene glycol and an epoxy resin; (4) an epoxy acrylates or epoxy methacrylate obtained by the addition reaction of epoxy resin and acrylic or methacrylic acid

Overexpression of progranulin (also named acrogranin, PC-cell-derived growth factor, or granulin-epithelin precursor) is associated with ovarian cancer, specifically with cell proliferation, malignancy, chemoresistance, and shortened overall survival. The objective of the current study is to identify the signaling pathways involved in the regulation of progranulin expression in ovarian cancer cell lines. We studied the relation of protein kinase C (PKC), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, protein kinase A, P38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and Akt pathways on the modulation of progranulin expression levels in NIH-OVCAR-3 and SK-OV-3 ovarian cancer cell lines. The different pathways were examined using pharmacological inhibitors (calphostin C, LY294002, H89, SB203580, PD98059, and Akt Inhibitor), and mRNA and protein progranulin expression were analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blot techniques, respectively. Inhibition of PKC signal transduction pathway by calphostin C decreased in a dose-dependent manner protein but not mRNA levels of progranulin in both ovarian cancer cell lines. LY294002 but not wortmannin, which are phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors, also diminished the expression of progranulin in both cell lines. In addition, LY294002 treatment produced a significant reduction in cell viability. Inhibition of protein kinase A, P38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and Akt did not affect progranulin protein expression. These results suggest that the PKC signaling is involved in the regulation of progranulin protein expression in 2 different ovarian cancer cell lines. Inhibiting these intracellular signal transduction pathways may provide a future therapeutic target for hindering the cellular proliferation and invasion in ovarian cancer produced by progranulin.

Cellular transplantation strategies for repairing the injured spinal cord have shown consistent benefit in preclinical models, and human clinical trials have begun. Interactions between transplanted cells and host tissue remain poorly understood. Trophic factor secretion is postulated a primary or supplementary mechanism of action for many transplanted cells, however, there is little direct evidence to support trophin production by transplanted cells in situ. In the present study, trophic factor expression was characterized in uninjured, injured-untreated, injured-treated with transplanted cells, and corresponding control tissue from the adult rat spinal cord. Candidate trophic factors were identified in a literature search, and primers were designed for these genes. We examined in vivo trophin expression in 3 paradigms involving transplantation of either brain or spinal cord-derived neural precursorcells (NPCs) or bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). Injury without further treatment led to a significant elevation of nerve growth factor (NGF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and lower expression of vascular endothelial growth factor isoform A (VEGF-A) and platelet-derived growth factor-A (PDGF-A). Transplantation of NPCs led to modest changes in trophin expression, and the co-administration of intrathecal trophins resulted in significant elevation of the neurotrophins, glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), LIF, and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). BMSCs transplantation upregulated NGF, LIF, and IGF-1. NPCs isolated after transplantation into the injured spinal cord expressed the neurotrophins, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and bFGF at higher levels than host cord. These data show that trophin expression in the spinal cord is influenced by injury and cell transplantation, particularly when combined with intrathecal trophin infusion

Full Text Available Medulloblastoma (MB is the most common malignant primary pediatric brain tumor and is currently divided into four subtypes based on different genomic alterations, gene expression profiles and response to treatment: WNT, Sonic Hedgehog (SHH, Group 3 and Group 4. This extensive heterogeneity has made it difficult to assess the functional relevance of genes to malignant progression. For example, expression of the transcription factor Orthodenticle homeobox2 (OTX2 is frequently dysregulated in multiple MB variants; however, its role may be subtype specific. We recently demonstrated that neural precursors derived from transformed human embryonic stem cells (trans-hENs, but not their normal counterparts (hENs, resemble Groups 3 and 4 MB in vitro and in vivo. Here, we tested the utility of this model system as a means of dissecting the role of OTX2 in MB using gain- and loss-of-function studies in hENs and trans-hENs, respectively. Parallel experiments with MB cells revealed that OTX2 exerts inhibitory effects on hEN and SHH MB cells by regulating growth, self-renewal and migration in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. This was accompanied by decreased expression of pluripotent genes, such as SOX2, and was supported by overexpression of SOX2 in OTX2+ SHH MB and hENs that resulted in significant rescue of self-renewal and cell migration. By contrast, OTX2 is oncogenic and promotes self-renewal of trans-hENs and Groups 3 and 4 MB independent of pluripotent gene expression. Our results demonstrate a novel role for OTX2 in self-renewal and migration of hENs and MB cells and reveal a cell-context-dependent link between OTX2 and pluripotent genes. Our study underscores the value of human embryonic stem cell derivatives as alternatives to cell lines and heterogeneous patient samples for investigating the contribution of key developmental regulators to MB progression.

Recent experimental evidence has shown that acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) arise from transformed immature hematopoietic cells following the accumulation of multiple stepwise genetic and epigenetic changes in hematopoietic stem cells and committed progenitors. The series of transforming events initially gives rise to preleukemic stem cells (pre-LSC), preceding the formation of fully transformed leukemia stem cells (LSC). Despite the established use of poly-chemotherapy, relapse continues to be the most common cause of death in AML and MDS. The therapeutic elimination of all LSC, as well as pre-LSC, which provide a silent reservoir for the re-formation of LSC, will be essential for achieving lasting cures. Conventional sequencing and next-generation genome sequencing have allowed us to describe many of the recurrent mutations in the bulk cell populations in AML and MDS, and recent work has also focused on identifying the initial molecular changes contributing to leukemogenesis. Here we review recent and ongoing advances in understanding the roles of pre-LSC, and the aberrations that lead to pre-LSC formation and subsequent LSC transformation.

The present report shows the agar diffusion chamber technique for culturing granulocyte- macrophage precursorcells, obtained from mice bone marrow. Diffusion chambers containing the bone marrow suspension are implanted intraperitoneally Into mice and constitute a compartment which avoids the migration of cells, but allows the transit of the mouse biological fluxes, necessary for the cellular proliferation. By means of this technique, we studied the lethal effects of the hyperthermia on the precursors and their capacity to repair sublethal damage. (Author) 129 refs.

factor 8 (FGF8) for expansion of such dopaminergic precursorcells, and fetal antigen-1 (FA1), a secreted neuronal protein of unknown function, as a non-invasive dopaminergic marker. Tissue from embryonic day (ED) 12 rat ventral mesencephalon was dissociated mechanically and cultured for 4 days...... to controls. After differentiation, biochemical analyses showed significantly more dopamine and FA1 in conditioned medium from both FGF2 and FGF8 expanded cultures than in controls. Correspondingly, numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)- and FA1-immunoreactive cells had increased 16-fold (P ... for these cells. Furthermore, FA1 was identified as a potential supplementary non-invasive marker of cultured dopaminergic neurons....

Neuroprotective properties of endocannabinoids N-arachidonoyl dopamine (NADA) and N-docosahexaenoyl dopamine (DHDA) were examined in neuronal precursorcells differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells and subjected to oxidative stress. Both compounds exerted neuroprotective activity, which was enhanced by elevating the concentration of the endocannabinoids within the 0.1-10 µM range. However, both agents at 10 µM concentration showed a marked toxic effect resulting in death of ~30% of the cells. Finally, antagonists of cannabinoid receptors as well as the receptor of the TRPV1 endovanilloid system did not hamper the neuroprotective effects of these endocannabinoids.

Full Text Available Cognitive dysfunction following stroke significantly impacts quality of life and functional independance; yet, despite the prevalence and negative impact of cognitive deficits, post-stroke interventions almost exclusively target motor impairments. As a result, current treatment options are limited in their ability to promote post-stroke cognitive recovery. Cyclosporin A (CsA has been previously shown to improve post-stroke functional recovery of sensorimotor deficits. Interestingly, CsA is a commonly used immunosuppressant and also acts directly on endogenous neural precursorcells (NPCs in the neurogenic regions of the brain (the periventricular region and the dentate gyrus. The immunosuppressive and NPC activation effects are mediated by calcineurin-dependent and calcineurin-independent pathways, respectively. To develop a cognitive stroke model, focal bilateral lesions were induced in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC of adult mice using endothelin-1. First, we characterized this stroke model in the acute and chronic phase, using problem-solving and memory-based cognitive tests. mPFC stroke resulted in early and persistent deficits in short-term memory, problem-solving and behavioral flexibility, without affecting anxiety. Second, we investigated the effects of acute and chronic CsA treatment on NPC activation, neuroprotection, and tissue damage. Acute CsA administration post-stroke increased the size of the NPC pool. There was no effect on neurodegeneration or lesion volume. Lastly, we looked at the effects of chronic CsA treatment on cognitive recovery. Long-term CsA administration promoted NPC migration toward the lesion site and rescued cognitive deficits to control levels. This study demonstrates that CsA treatment activates the NPC population, promotes migration of NPCs to the site of injury, and leads to improved cognitive recovery following long-term treatment.

Full Text Available ABSTRACTBrain glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3 is hyperactive in several neurological conditions that involve impairments in both cognition and neurogenesis. This raises the hypotheses that hyperactive GSK3 may directly contribute to impaired cognition, and that this may be related to deficiencies in neural precursorcells (NPC. To study the effects of hyperactive GSK3 in the absence of disease influences, we compared adult hippocampal NPC proliferation and performance in three cognitive tasks in male and female wild-type mice and GSK3 knockin mice, which express constitutively active GSK3. NPC proliferation was ~40% deficient in both male and female GSK3 knockin mice compared with wild-type mice. Environmental enrichment (EE increased NPC proliferation in male, but not female, GSK3 knockin mice and wild-type mice. Male and female GSK3 knockin mice exhibited impairments in novel object recognition, temporal order memory, and coordinate spatial processing compared with gender-matched wild-type mice. EE restored impaired novel object recognition and temporal ordering in both sexes of GSK3 knockin mice, indicating that this repair was not dependent on NPC proliferation, which was not increased by EE in female GSK3 knockin mice. Acute 1 hr pretreatment with the GSK3 inhibitor TDZD-8 also improved novel object recognition and temporal ordering in male and female GSK3 knockin mice. These findings demonstrate that hyperactive GSK3 is sufficient to impair adult hippocampal NPC proliferation and to impair performance in three cognitive tasks in both male and female mice, but these changes in NPC proliferation do not directly regulate novel object recognition and temporal ordering tasks.

Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) belongs to the family of highly conserved dimeric growth factors that controls the differentiation and activity of various neuronal populations. Mammals contain both the mature (NT-3) and the precursor (pro-NT-3) forms of neurotrophin. Members of the neurotrophin family are involved in the regulation of calcium homeostasis in neurons; however, the role of NT-3 and pro-NT-3 in this process remains unclear. The current study explores the effects of NT-3 and pro-NT-3 on disturbed calcium homeostasis and decline of mitochondrial potential induced by a neurotoxic concentration of glutamate (Glu; 100 µM) in the primary culture of rat cerebellar granule cells. In this Glu excitotoxicity model, mature NT-3 had no effect on the induced changes in Ca²⁺ homeostasis. In contrast, pro-NT-3 decreased the period of delayed calcium deregulation (DCD) and concurrent strong mitochondrial depolarization. According to the amplitude of the increase in the intracellular free Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]i ) and Fura-2 fluorescence quenching by Mn²⁺ within the first 20 sec of exposure to Glu, pro-NT-3 had no effect on the initial rate of Ca²⁺ entry into neurons. During the lag period preceding DCD, the mean amplitude of [Ca²⁺]i rise was 1.2-fold greater in the presence of pro-NT-3 than in the presence of Glu alone (1.67 ± 0.07 and 1.39 ± 0.04, respectively, P

Full Text Available Medulloblastoma (MB, tumor of the cerebellum, remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in childhood.We previously showed, in a mouse model of spontaneous MB (Ptch1+/-/Tis21-/-, that a defect of the migration of cerebellar granule neuron precursorcells (GCPs correlates with an increased frequency of MB. This occurs because GCPs, rather than migrating internally and differentiating, remain longer in the proliferative area at the cerebellar surface, becoming targets of transforming insults. Furthermore, we identified the chemokine Cxcl3 as responsible for the inward migration of GCPs. As it is known that preneoplastic GCPs (pGCPs can still migrate and differentiate like normal GCPs, thus exiting the neoplastic program, in this study we tested the hypothesis that pGCPs within a MB lesion could be induced by Cxcl3 to migrate and differentiate. We observed that the administration of Cxcl3 for 28 days within the cerebellum of one-month-old Ptch1+/-/Tis21-/- mice, i.e., when MB lesions are already formed, leads to complete disappearance of the lesions. However, a shorter treatment with Cxcl3 (two weeks was ineffective, suggesting that the suppression of MB lesions is dependent on the duration of Cxcl3 application. We verified that the treatment with Cxcl3 causes a massive migration of pGCPs from the lesion to the internal granular layer (IGL, where they differentiate.Thus, the induction of migration of pGCPs in medulloblastoma lesions may open new ways to treat MB that exploit the plasticity of the pGCPs, forcing their differentiation. It remains to be tested whether this plasticity continues at advanced stages of medulloblastoma. If so, these findings would set a potential use of the chemokine Cxcl3 as therapeutic agent against MB development in human preclinical studies.

Medulloblastoma (MB), tumor of the cerebellum, remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in childhood. We previously showed, in a mouse model of spontaneous MB ( Ptch1 +/- / Tis21 -/- ), that a defect of the migration of cerebellar granule neuron precursorcells (GCPs) correlates with an increased frequency of MB. This occurs because GCPs, rather than migrating internally and differentiating, remain longer in the proliferative area at the cerebellar surface, becoming targets of transforming insults. Furthermore, we identified the chemokine Cxcl3 as responsible for the inward migration of GCPs. As it is known that preneoplastic GCPs (pGCPs) can still migrate and differentiate like normal GCPs, thus exiting the neoplastic program, in this study we tested the hypothesis that pGCPs within a MB lesion could be induced by Cxcl3 to migrate and differentiate. We observed that the administration of Cxcl3 for 28 days within the cerebellum of 1-month-old Ptch1 +/- / Tis21 -/- mice, i.e., when MB lesions are already formed, leads to complete disappearance of the lesions. However, a shorter treatment with Cxcl3 (2 weeks) was ineffective, suggesting that the suppression of MB lesions is dependent on the duration of Cxcl3 application. We verified that the treatment with Cxcl3 causes a massive migration of pGCPs from the lesion to the internal granular layer, where they differentiate. Thus, the induction of migration of pGCPs in MB lesions may open new ways to treat MB that exploit the plasticity of the pGCPs, forcing their differentiation. It remains to be tested whether this plasticity continues at advanced stages of MB. If so, these findings would set a potential use of the chemokine Cxcl3 as therapeutic agent against MB development in human preclinical studies.

Promotion of remyelination is an important therapeutic strategy for the treatment of the demyelinating neurological disorders. Adult oligodendrocyte precursorcells (OPCs), which normally reside quiescently in the adult central nervous system (CNS), become activated and proliferative after demyelinating lesions. However, the extent of endogenous remyelination is limited because of the failure of adult OPCs to mature into myelinating oligodendrocytes (OLs) in the demyelinated CNS. Understandin...

Oligodendrocyte development and myelination are under thyroid hormone control. In this study we analysed the effects of chronic manipulation of thyroid status on the expression of a wide spectrum of oligodendrocyte precursorcells (OPCs) markers and myelin basic protein (MBP) in the subventricular zone (SVZ), olfactory bulb and optic nerve, and on neural stem cell (NSC) lineage in adult rats. Hypo- and hyperthyroidism were induced in male rats, by propyl-thio-uracil (PTU) and L-thyroxin (T4) treatment, respectively. Hypothyroidism increased and hyperthyroidism downregulated proliferation in the SVZ and olfactory bulb (Ki67 immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, bromodeoxyuridine uptake). Platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFalpha-R) and MBP mRNA levels decreased in the optic nerve of hypothyroid rats; the same also occurred at the level of MBP protein. Hyperthyroidism slightly upregulates selected markers such as NG2 in the olfactory bulb. The lineage of cells derived from primary cultures of NSC prepared from the forebrain of adult hypo- and hyperthyroid also differs from those derived from control animals. Although no difference of in vitro proliferation of NSCs was observed in the presence of epidermal growth factor, maturation of oligodendrocytes (defined by process number and length) was enhanced in hyperthyroidism, suggesting a more mature state than in control animals. This difference was even greater when compared with the hypothyroid group, the morphology of which suggested a delay in differentiation. These results indicate that thyroid hormone affects NSC and OPC proliferation and maturation also in adulthood.

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma is ionized matter, composed of highly reactive species that include positive ions, negative ions, free radicals, neutral atoms, and molecules. Recent reports have suggested that non-thermal biocompatible plasma (NBP) can selectively kill a variety of cancer cells, and promote stem cell differentiation. However as of yet, the regulation of proliferation and differentiation potential of NBP has been poorly understood.Here, we investigated the effects of NBP on the osteogenic differentiation of precursorcell lines of osteoblasts, MC3T3 E1 and SaOS-2. For in vitro osteogenic differentiation, precursorcell lines were treated with NBP, and cultured with osteogenic induction medium. After 10 days of treatment, the NBP was shown to be effective in osteogenic differentiation in MC3T3 E1 cells by von Kossa and Alizarin Red S staining assay. Real-time PCR was then performed to investigate the expression of osteogenic specific genes, Runx2, OCN, COL1, ALP and osterix in MC3T3 E1 cells after treatment with NBP for 4 days. Furthermore, analysis of the protein expression showed that NBP treatment significantly reduced PI3K/AKT signaling and MAPK family signaling. However, p38 controlled phosphorylation of transcription factor forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) that related to cell differentiation with increased phosphorylated p38. These results suggest that non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma can induce osteogenic differentiation, and enhance bone formation.

Our previous study definitely demonstrated that the mature astrocytes could undergo a de-differentiation process and further transform into pluripotential neural stem cells (NSCs), which might well arise from the effect of diffusible factors released from scratch-insulted astrocytes. However, these neurospheres passaged from one neurosphere-derived from de-differentiated astrocytes possessed a completely distinct characteristic in the differentiation behavior, namely heterogeneity of differentiation. The heterogeneity in cell differentiation has become a crucial but elusive issue. In this study, we show that purified astrocytes could de-differentiate into intermediate precursorcells (IPCs) with addition of scratch-insulted astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) to the culture, which can express NG2 and A2B5, the IPCs markers. Apart from the number of NG2(+) and A2B5(+) cells, the percentage of proliferative cells as labeled with BrdU progressively increased with prolonged culture period ranging from 1 to 10 days. Meanwhile, the protein level of A2B5 in cells also increased significantly. These results revealed that not all astrocytes could de-differentiate fully into NSCs directly when induced by ACM, rather they generated intermediate or more restricted precursorcells that might undergo progressive de-differentiation to generate NSCs.

Full Text Available Early T-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-ALL has been identified as high-risk subgroup of acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL with a high rate of FLT3-mutations in adults. To unravel the underlying pathomechanisms and the clinical course we assessed molecular alterations and clinical characteristics in a large cohort of ETP-ALL (n = 68 in comparison to non-ETP T-ALL adult patients. Interestingly, we found a high rate of FLT3-mutations in ETP-ALL samples (n = 24, 35%. Furthermore, FLT3 mutated ETP-ALL was characterized by a specific immunophenotype (CD2+/CD5-/CD13+/CD33-, a distinct gene expression pattern (aberrant expression of IGFBP7, WT1, GATA3 and mutational status (absence of NOTCH1 mutations and a low frequency, 21%, of clonal TCR rearrangements. The observed low GATA3 expression and high WT1 expression in combination with lack of NOTCH1 mutations and a low rate of TCR rearrangements point to a leukemic transformation at the pluripotent prothymocyte stage in FLT3 mutated ETP-ALL. The clinical outcome in ETP-ALL patients was poor, but encouraging in those patients with allogeneic stem cell transplantation (3-year OS: 74%. To further explore the efficacy of targeted therapies, we demonstrate that T-ALL cell lines transfected with FLT3 expression constructs were particularly sensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In conclusion, FLT3 mutated ETP-ALL defines a molecular distinct stem cell like leukemic subtype. These data warrant clinical studies with the implementation of FLT3 inhibitors in addition to early allogeneic stem cell transplantation for this high risk subgroup.

Full Text Available We have recently described sustained clinical recovery associated with dampened neuroinflammation and remyelination following transplantation of neural precursorcells (NPCs derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs in a viral model of the human demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis. The hNPCs used in that study were derived by a novel direct differentiation method (direct differentiation, DD-NPCs that resulted in a unique gene expression pattern when compared to hNPCs derived by conventional methods. Since the therapeutic potential of human NPCs may differ greatly depending on the method of derivation and culture, we wanted to determine whether NPCs differentiated using conventional methods would be similarly effective in improving clinical outcome under neuroinflammatory demyelinating conditions. For the current study, we utilized hNPCs differentiated from a human induced pluripotent cell line via an embryoid body intermediate stage (EB-NPCs. Intraspinal transplantation of EB-NPCs into mice infected with the neurotropic JHM strain of mouse hepatitis virus (JHMV resulted in decreased accumulation of CD4+ T cells in the central nervous system that was concomitant with reduced demyelination at the site of injection. Dampened neuroinflammation and remyelination was correlated with a transient increase in CD4+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs concentrated within the peripheral lymphatics. However, compared to our earlier study, pathological improvements were modest and did not result in significant clinical recovery. We conclude that the genetic signature of NPCs is critical to their effectiveness in this model of viral-induced neurologic disease. These comparisons will be useful for understanding what factors are critical for the sustained clinical improvement.

The effects of the X-irradiation on the viability of the granulocyte-macrophage precursors, has been determined by means of the agar diffusion chamber culture technique. The results show the high radiosensitivity of these cells, with survival parameter similar to those previously reported in the literature about different granulocyte-macrophage precursors. When a hyperthermic treatment is performed prior to the X-irradiation, a radiosensitization phenomenon is observed due to the synergism existent between hyperthermia and X rays on the lethality of the precursors. (Authors) 37 refs.

Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} (CZTS) thin films with kesterite structures were prepared by directly sol-gel synthesizing spin-coated precursors on soda-lime-glass (SLG) substrates. The CZTS precursors were prepared by using solutions of copper (II) chloride, zinc (II) chloride, tin (IV) chloride, and thiourea. The ratio of SnCl{sub 4} in the precursors was found to play a critical role in the synthesization of CZTS. CZTS phases of SnS and SnS{sub 2} were observed in the synthesized films as prepared using precursors with a close to stoichiometric ratio of CuCl{sub 2}:ZnCl{sub 2}:SnCl{sub 4}:CH{sub 4}N{sub 2}S = 4:1:1:8, where SnCl{sub 4} was 1 mol/l. The amounts of the educed SnS and SnS{sub 2} phases observed in the SEM images could be readily reduced by decreasing the volume of SnCl{sub 4} in the mixed solution. With decreasing amount of SnCl{sub 4} from 1 mol/l, the as prepared CZTS reveals a significant improvement in its crystalline properties. In this work, CZTS with an average absorption coefficient and an optical energy gap of over 10{sup 4} cm{sup -1} and ∼1.5 eV, respectively, was obtained using precursors of copper (II) chloride, zinc (II) chloride, tin (IV) chloride, and thiourea mixed in a ratio of 2:1:0.25:8, and it had good crystallinity revealing a Cu-poor composition.

Persistent high risk HPV infection can lead to cervical cancer, the second most common malignant tumor in women worldwide. NK cells play a crucial role against tumors and virus-infected cells through a fine balance between activating and inhibitory receptors. Expression of triggering receptors NKp30, NKp44, NKp46 and NKG2D on NK cells correlates with cytolytic activity against tumor cells, but these receptors have not been studied in cervical cancer and precursor lesions. The aim of the present work was to study NKp30, NKp46, NKG2D, NKp80 and 2B4 expression in NK cells from patients with cervical cancer and precursor lesions, in the context of HPV infection. NKp30, NKp46, NKG2D, NKp80 and 2B4 expression was analyzed by flow cytometry on NK cells from 59 patients with cervical cancer and squamous intraepithelial lesions. NK cell cytotoxicity was evaluated in a 4 hour CFSE/7-AAD flow cytometry assay. HPV types were identified by PCR assays. We report here for the first time that NK cell-activating receptors NKp30 and NKp46 are significantly down-regulated in cervical cancer and high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) patients. NCRs down-regulation correlated with low cytolytic activity, HPV-16 infection and clinical stage. NKG2D was also down-regulated in cervical cancer patients. Our results suggest that NKp30, NKp46 and NKG2D down-regulation represent an evasion mechanism associated to low NK cell activity, HPV-16 infection and cervical cancer progression

Parabiotic pairs of B6.Ly5.1 and B6.Ly5.2 mice were used to investigate how lymphocytes in various organs and various lymphocyte subsets mixed with partner cells. The origin of partner cells was determined by using anti-Ly5.1 mAb in conjunction with immunofluorescence tests. Parabiosis was also produced after the irradiation of B6.Ly5.2 mice at various doses to prepare an immunosuppressive partner. Irrespective of irradiation, lymphocytes and other hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow and lymphocytes in the thymus showed a low mixture of partner cells in comparison with those of all other organs tested. On the other hand, lymphocytes in the blood, spleen, and lymph nodes became a half-and-half mixture of their own cells and partner cell by 14 days after parabiosis. Among lymphocyte subsets, intermediate CD3 cells (i.e., CD3 int cells) and NKT cells (i.e., NK1.1 + subset of CD3 int cells) in the liver also showed a low mixture of partner cells. The present results raise the possibility that lymphocytes in the bone marrow and thymus, and extrathymic T cells in the liver might be in situ generated from their own preexisting precursorcells. Another observation was that, after irradiation, partner cells showed accelerated mixture even if they showed a low mixture under non-irradiated conditions. However, only lymphocyte subsets with the same phenotype as those of preexisting cells entered the corresponding sites. (author)

Parabiotic pairs of B6.Ly5.1 and B6.Ly5.2 mice were used to investigate how lymphocytes in various organs and various lymphocyte subsets mixed with partner cells. The origin of partner cells was determined by using anti-Ly5.1 mAb in conjunction with immunofluorescence tests. Parabiosis was also produced after the irradiation of B6.Ly5.2 mice at various doses to prepare an immunosuppressive partner. Irrespective of irradiation, lymphocytes and other hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow and lymphocytes in the thymus showed a low mixture of partner cells in comparison with those of all other organs tested. On the other hand, lymphocytes in the blood, spleen, and lymph nodes became a half-and-half mixture of their own cells and partner cell by 14 days after parabiosis. Among lymphocyte subsets, intermediate CD3 cells (i.e., CD3{sup int} cells) and NKT cells (i.e., NK1.1{sup +} subset of CD3{sup int} cells) in the liver also showed a low mixture of partner cells. The present results raise the possibility that lymphocytes in the bone marrow and thymus, and extrathymic T cells in the liver might be in situ generated from their own preexisting precursorcells. Another observation was that, after irradiation, partner cells showed accelerated mixture even if they showed a low mixture under non-irradiated conditions. However, only lymphocyte subsets with the same phenotype as those of preexisting cells entered the corresponding sites. (author)

In this study, we proposed a new method for the synthesis of the target material used in a two stage process for preparation of a high quality CZTSe thin film. The target material consisting of a mixture of Cu x Se and Zn x Sn 1-x alloy was synthesized, providing a quality CZTSe precursor layer for highly efficient CZTSe thin film solar cells. The CZTSe thin film can be obtained by annealing the precursor layers through a 30 min selenization process under a selenium atmosphere at 550 °C. The CZTSe thin films prepared by using the new precursor thin film were investigated and characterized using X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. It was found that diffusion of Sn occurred and formed the CTSe phase and Cu x Se phase in the resultant CZTSe thin film. By selective area electron diffraction transmission electron microscopy images, the crystallinity of the CZTSe thin film was verified to be single crystal. By secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements, it was confirmed that a double-gradient band gap profile across the CZTSe absorber layer was successfully achieved. The CZTSe solar cell with the CZTSe absorber layer consisting of the precursor stack exhibited a high efficiency of 5.46%, high short circuit current (J SC ) of 37.47 mA/cm 2 , open circuit voltage (V OC ) of 0.31 V, and fill factor (F.F.) of 47%, at a device area of 0.28 cm 2 . No crossover of the light and dark current-voltage (I-V) curves of the CZTSe solar cell was observed, and also, no red kink was observed under red light illumination, indicating a low defect concentration in the CZTSe absorber layer. Shunt leakage current with a characteristic metal/CZTSe/metal leakage current model was observed by temperature-dependent I-V curves, which led to the discovery of metal incursion through the CdS buffer layer on the CZTSe absorber layer. This leakage current, also known as space charge-limited current, grew larger as the measurement temperature increased and

Highlights: • CZTS absorber layer was fabricated by electrodeposition—annealing route from stacked bilayer precursor (Zn/Cu-Sn). • Different characterization techniques have ensured the well formed Kesterite CZTS along the film thickness also. • Two different excitation wavelengths of laser lines (514.5 and 785 nm) have been used for the Raman characterization of the films. • No significant Sn loss is observed in CZTS films after the sulfurization of the stacked bilayer precursors. • Photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals the PL peak of CZTS at 1.15 eV at low temperature (15 K). - Abstract: In the present work, Kesterite-Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} (CZTS) thin films were successfully synthesized from stacked bilayer precursor (Zn/Cu-Sn) through electrodeposition-annealing route. Adherent and homogeneous Cu-poor, Zn-rich stacked metal Cu-Zn-Sn precursors with different compositions were sequentially electrodeposited, in the order of Zn/Cu-Sn onto Mo foil substrates. Subsequently, stacked layers were soft annealed at 350 °C for 20 min in flowing N{sub 2} atmosphere in order to improve intermixing of the elements. Then, sulfurization was completed at 585 °C for 15 min in elemental sulfur environment in a quartz tube furnace with N{sub 2} atmosphere. Morphological, compositional and structural properties of the films were investigated using SEM, EDS and XRD methods. Raman spectroscopy with two different excitation lines (514.5 and 785 nm), has been carried out on the sulfurized films in order to fully characterize the CZTS phase. Higher excitation wavelength showed more secondary phases, but with low intensities. Glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES) has also been performed on films showing well formed Kesterite CZTS along the film thickness as compositions of the elements do not change along the thickness. In order to investigate the electronic structure of the CZTS, Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy has been carried out on the films, whose

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Endogenous cardiac progenitor cells are a promising option for cell-therapy for myocardial infarction (MI. However, obtaining adequate numbers of cardiac progenitors after MI remains a challenge. Cardiospheres (CSs have been proposed to have cardiac regenerative properties; however, their cellular composition and how they may be influenced by the tissue milieu remains unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING: Using "middle aged" mice as CSs donors, we found that acute MI induced a dramatic increase in the number of CSs in a mouse model of MI, and this increase was attenuated back to baseline over time. We also observed that CSs from post-MI hearts engrafted in ischemic myocardium induced angiogenesis and restored cardiac function. To determine the role of Sca-1(+CD45(- cells within CSs, we cloned these from single cell isolates. Expression of Islet-1 (Isl1 in Sca-1(+CD45(- cells from CSs was 3-fold higher than in whole CSs. Cloned Sca-1(+CD45(- cells had the ability to differentiate into cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells in vitro. We also observed that cloned cells engrafted in ischemic myocardium induced angiogenesis, differentiated into endothelial and smooth muscle cells and improved cardiac function in post-MI hearts. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These studies demonstrate that cloned Sca-1(+CD45(- cells derived from CSs from infarcted "middle aged" hearts are enriched for second heart field (i.e., Isl-1(+ precursors that give rise to both myocardial and vascular tissues, and may be an appropriate source of progenitor cells for autologous cell-therapy post-MI.

is markedly depressed in high-dose mice, suggesting an association between DTH and virus clearance. When virus-primed memory cells are transferred, DTH reactivity as well as virus-clearing capacity is restored in high-dose mice, indicating that the virus is not present in a changed or concealed form. The role...... transfer a DTH response emerged, indicating that TD priming had taken place in high-dose animals. Pre-irradiation of high-dose primed cells markedly inhibited the antiviral activity as well as DTH, suggesting that upon transfer to naive recipients TD precursors from high-dose mice would proliferate...... precursor into effector cells which is reversible upon transfer to a less antigen loaded environment. Furthermore, it is suggested that TD function is crucial to the process of virus clearance....

Full Text Available In mouse cerebral corticogenesis, neurons are generated from radial glial cells (RGCs or from their immediate progeny, intermediate neuronal precursors (INPs. The balance between self-renewal of these neuronal precursors and specification of cell fate is critical for proper cortical development, but the signaling mechanisms that regulate this progression are poorly understood. EphA4, a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase superfamily, is expressed in RGCs during embryogenesis. To illuminate the function of EphA4 in RGC cell fate determination during early corticogenesis, we deleted Epha4 in cortical cells at E11.5 or E13.5. Loss of EphA4 at both stages led to precocious in vivo RGC differentiation toward neurogenesis. Cortical cells isolated at E14.5 and E15.5 from both deletion mutants showed reduced capacity for neurosphere formation with greater differentiation toward neurons. They also exhibited lower phosphorylation of ERK and FRS2α in the presence of FGF. The size of the cerebral cortex at P0 was smaller than that of controls when Epha4 was deleted at E11.5 but not when it was deleted at E13.5, although the cortical layers were formed normally in both mutants. The number of PAX6-positive RGCs decreased at later developmental stages only in the E11.5 Epha4 deletion mutant. These results suggest that EphA4, in cooperation with an FGF signal, contributes to the maintenance of RGC self-renewal and repression of RGC differentiation through the neuronal lineage. This function of EphA4 is especially critical and uncompensated in early stages of corticogenesis, and thus deletion at E11.5 reduces the size of the neonatal cortex.

Full Text Available Bumetanide has been shown to lessen cerebral edema and reduce the infarct area in the acute stage of cerebral ischemia. Few studies focus on the effects of bumetanide on neuroprotection and neurogenesis in the chronic stage of cerebral ischemia. We established a rat model of cerebral ischemia by injecting endothelin-1 in the left cortical motor area and left corpus striatum. Seven days later, bumetanide 200 µg/kg/day was injected into the lateral ventricle for 21 consecutive days with a mini-osmotic pump. Results demonstrated that the number of neuroblasts cells and the total length of dendrites increased, escape latency reduced, and the number of platform crossings increased in the rat hippocampal dentate gyrus in the chronic stage of cerebral ischemia. These findings suggest that bumetanide promoted neural precursorcell regeneration, dendritic development and the recovery of cognitive function, and protected brain tissue in the chronic stage of ischemia.

Islet transplantation is limited by the need for chronic immunosuppression and the paucity of donor tissue. As new sources of human beta-cells are developed (e.g., stem cell-derived tissue), transplanting them in a durable device could obviate the need for immunosuppression, while also protecting the patient from any risk of tumorigenicity. Here, we studied (1) the survival and function of encapsulated human beta-cells and their progenitors and (2) the engraftment of encapsulated murine beta-cells in allo- and autoimmune settings. Human islets and human fetal pancreatic islet-like cell clusters were encapsulated in polytetrafluorethylene devices (TheraCyte) and transplanted into immunodeficient mice. Graft survival and function was measured by immunohistochemistry, circulating human C-peptide levels, and blood glucose levels. Bioluminescent imaging was used to monitor encapsulated neonatal murine islets. Encapsulated human islet-like cell clusters survived, replicated, and acquired a level of glucose responsive insulin secretion sufficient to ameliorate hyperglycemia in diabetic mice. Bioluminescent imaging of encapsulated murine neonatal islets revealed a dynamic process of cell death followed by regrowth, resulting in robust long-term allograft survival. Further, in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type I diabetes, encapsulated primary beta-cells ameliorated diabetes without stimulating a detectable T-cell response. We demonstrate for the first time that human beta-cells function is compatible with encapsulation in a durable, immunoprotective device. Moreover, our study suggests that encapsulation of beta-cells before terminal differentiation will be a successful approach for new cell-based therapies for diabetes, such as those derived from stem cells.

Background Islet transplantation is limited by the need for chronic immunosuppression and the paucity of donor tissue. As new sources of human β-cells are developed (e.g., stem cell-derived tissue), transplanting them in a durable device could obviate the need for immunosuppression, while also protecting the patient from any risk of tumorigenicity. Here, we studied (1) the survival and function of encapsulated human β-cells and their progenitors and (2) the engraftment of encapsulated murine β-cells in allo- and autoimmune settings. Methods Human islets and human fetal pancreatic islet-like cell clusters were encapsulated in polytetrafluorethylene devices (TheraCyte) and transplanted into immunodeficient mice. Graft survival and function was measured by immunohistochemistry, circulating human C-peptide levels, and blood glucose levels. Bioluminescent imaging was used to monitor encapsulated neonatal murine islets. Results Encapsulated human islet-like cell clusters survived, replicated, and acquired a level of glucose responsive insulin secretion sufficient to ameliorate hyperglycemia in diabetic mice. Bioluminescent imaging of encapsulated murine neonatal islets revealed a dynamic process of cell death followed by regrowth, resulting in robust long-term allograft survival. Further, in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type I diabetes, encapsulated primary β-cells ameliorated diabetes without stimulating a detectable T-cell response. Conclusions We demonstrate for the first time that human β-cells function is compatible with encapsulation in a durable, immunoprotective device. Moreover, our study suggests that encapsulation of β-cells before terminal differentiation will be a successful approach for new cell-based therapies for diabetes, such as those derived from stem cells. PMID:19352116

Apoptosis, the typical mode of radiation-induced cell death in developing Central Nervous System (CNS), is closely related with the oxidative status. Enhanced radiation-induced generation of ROS/RNS has been observed after exposures to low radiation doses leading to cellular amplification of signal transduction and further molecular and cellular radiation-responses. Moreover Nitric oxide (NO) and hydroxyl radical are implicated in dopaminergic neurotoxicity in different parading. This study is an attempt to address the participation of radiation-induced free radicals production, the contribution of endogenous NO generation, and the excitonic pathway, in the radiation-induced apoptosis of neural cortical precursors. Cortical cells obtained from at 17 gestational day (gd) were irradiated with doses from 0,2 Gy to 2 Gy at a dose-rate of 0.3 Gy/m. A significant decrease of Luminol-dependent Chemiluminescence was evident 30 m after irradiation reaching basal levels at 120 m follow for a tendency to increasing values Incubations with Superoxide Dismatuse (SOD) decreased significantly the chemiluminescence in irradiated samples NO content estimated by measuring the stable products NO{sub 2} and NO{sub 3} released to the culture medium in the same period, has shown a time-dependent accumulation from 1 h post-irradiation. the apoptosis, determined 24 h post-irradiation by flow cytometry, morphology and DNA fragmentation revealed a dose-effect relationship with significant differences from 0.4 Gy. The samples pre-treated with 10 mM of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) a precursor of intracellular GSH synthesis, shown a significant decrease of the apoptosis. Apoptosis was significantly increased in irradiated cells after inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) byL-NAME. We conclude that ROS/RNS play a pivotal role in the early signaling pathways leading to a radiation-induced cell death. (Author) 40 refs.

Apoptosis, the typical mode of radiation-induced cell death in developing Central Nervous System (CNS), is closely related with the oxidative status. Enhanced radiation-induced generation of ROS/RNS has been observed after exposures to low radiation doses leading to cellular amplification of signal transduction and further molecular and cellular radiation-responses. Moreover Nitric oxide (NO) and hydroxyl radical are implicated in dopaminergic neurotoxicity in different parading. This study is an attempt to address the participation of radiation-induced free radicals production, the contribution of endogenous NO generation, and the excitonic pathway, in the radiation-induced apoptosis of neural cortical precursors. Cortical cells obtained from at 17 gestational day (gd) were irradiated with doses from 0,2 Gy to 2 Gy at a dose-rate of 0.3 Gy/m. A significant decrease of Luminol-dependent Chemiluminescence was evident 30 m after irradiation reaching basal levels at 120 m follow for a tendency to increasing values Incubations with Superoxide Dismatuse (SOD) decreased significantly the chemiluminescence in irradiated samples NO content estimated by measuring the stable products NO 2 and NO 3 released to the culture medium in the same period, has shown a time-dependent accumulation from 1 h post-irradiation. the apoptosis, determined 24 h post-irradiation by flow cytometry, morphology and DNA fragmentation revealed a dose-effect relationship with significant differences from 0.4 Gy. The samples pre-treated with 10 mM of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) a precursor of intracellular GSH synthesis, shown a significant decrease of the apoptosis. Apoptosis was significantly increased in irradiated cells after inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) byL-NAME. We conclude that ROS/RNS play a pivotal role in the early signaling pathways leading to a radiation-induced cell death. (Author) 40 refs

Ovarian epithelial carcinomas (OEC) frequently exhibit amplifications at the 20q13 locus which is the site of several oncogenes, including the eukaryotic elongation factor EEF1A2 and the transcription factor ZNF217. We reported previously that overexpressed ZNF217 induces neoplastic characteristics in precursorcells of OEC. Unexpectedly, ZNF217, which is a transcriptional repressor, enhanced expression of eEF1A2. In this study, array comparative genomic hybridization, single nucleotide polymorphism and Affymetrix analysis of ZNF217-overexpressing cell lines confirmed consistently increased expression of eEF1A2 but not of other oncogenes, and revealed early changes in EEF1A2 gene copy numbers and increased expression at crisis during immortalization. We defined the influence of eEF1A2 overexpression on immortalized ovarian surface epithelial cells, and investigated interrelationships between effects of ZNF217 and eEF1A2 on cellular phenotypes. Lentivirally induced eEF1A2 overexpression caused delayed crisis, apoptosis resistance and increases in serum-independence, saturation densities, and anchorage independence. siRNA to eEF1A2 reversed apoptosis resistance and reduced anchorage independence in eEF1A2-overexpressing lines. Remarkably, siRNA to eEF1A2 was equally efficient in inhibiting both anchorage independence and resistance to apoptosis conferred by ZNF217 overexpression. Our data define neoplastic properties that are caused by eEF1A2 in nontumorigenic ovarian cancer precursorcells, and suggest that eEF1A2 plays a role in mediating ZNF217-induced neoplastic progression.

Background. To analyze the biocompatibility of vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), used as nanomodification to optimize the properties of prostheses-embedded microelectrodes that induce electrical stimulation of surviving retinal cells. Methods. MWCNT were synthesized on silicon wafers. Their growth was achieved by iron particles (Fe) or mixtures of iron-platinum (Fe-Pt) and iron-titanium (Fe-Ti) acting as catalysts. Viability, growth, adhesion, and gene expression of L-929 and retinal precursor (R28) cells were analyzed after nondirect and direct contact. Results. Nondirect contact had almost no influence on cell growth, as measured in comparison to reference materials with defined levels of cytotoxicity. Both cell types exhibited good proliferation properties on each MWCNT-coated wafer. Viability ranged from 95.9 to 99.8%, in which better survival was observed for nonfunctionalized MWCNT generated with the Fe-Pt and Fe-Ti catalyst mixtures. R28 cells grown on the MWCNT-coated wafers showed a decreased gene expression associated with neural and glial properties. Expression of the cell cycle-related genes CCNC, MYC, and TP53 was slightly downregulated. Cultivation on plasma-treated MWCNT did not lead to additional changes. Conclusions. All tested MWCNT-covered slices showed good biocompatibility profiles, confirming that this nanotechnology is a promising tool to improve prostheses bearing electrodes which connect with retinal tissue.

Full Text Available Background. To analyze the biocompatibility of vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT, used as nanomodification to optimize the properties of prostheses-embedded microelectrodes that induce electrical stimulation of surviving retinal cells. Methods. MWCNT were synthesized on silicon wafers. Their growth was achieved by iron particles (Fe or mixtures of iron-platinum (Fe-Pt and iron-titanium (Fe-Ti acting as catalysts. Viability, growth, adhesion, and gene expression of L-929 and retinal precursor (R28 cells were analyzed after nondirect and direct contact. Results. Nondirect contact had almost no influence on cell growth, as measured in comparison to reference materials with defined levels of cytotoxicity. Both cell types exhibited good proliferation properties on each MWCNT-coated wafer. Viability ranged from 95.9 to 99.8%, in which better survival was observed for nonfunctionalized MWCNT generated with the Fe-Pt and Fe-Ti catalyst mixtures. R28 cells grown on the MWCNT-coated wafers showed a decreased gene expression associated with neural and glial properties. Expression of the cell cycle-related genes CCNC, MYC, and TP53 was slightly downregulated. Cultivation on plasma-treated MWCNT did not lead to additional changes. Conclusions. All tested MWCNT-covered slices showed good biocompatibility profiles, confirming that this nanotechnology is a promising tool to improve prostheses bearing electrodes which connect with retinal tissue.

Tissue blocks containing neural precursorcells were isolated from the rat forebrain subventricular zone (SVZ) and ventral mesencephalon (VM) and propagated as neural tissue-spheres (NTS). In the presence of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), SVZ-derived NTS were...... propagated and maintained for more than 6 months with a cell population doubling time of 21.5 days. The replacement of EGF by leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) resulted in a cell population doubling time of 19.8 days, corresponding to a 10-fold increase in estimated cell numbers over a period of 70 days......, at which point these NTS ceased to grow. In the presence of FGF2 and LIF, VM-derived NTS displayed a cell population doubling time of 24.6 days, which was maintained over a period of more than 200 days. However, when LIF was replaced by EGF, the cell numbers only increased 1.2 fold over 50 days. Using...

Full Text Available Objectives. To study possible nerve regeneration of a damaged auditory nerve by the use of stem cell transplantation. Methods. We transplanted HNPCs to the rat AN trunk by the internal auditory meatus (IAM. Furthermore, we studied if addition of BDNF affects survival and phenotypic differentiation of the grafted HNPCs. A bioactive nanofiber gel (PA gel, in selected groups mixed with BDNF, was applied close to the implanted cells. Before transplantation, all rats had been deafened by a round window niche application of β-bungarotoxin. This neurotoxin causes a selective toxic destruction of the AN while keeping the hair cells intact. Results. Overall, HNPCs survived well for up to six weeks in all groups. However, transplants receiving the BDNF-containing PA gel demonstrated significantly higher numbers of HNPCs and neuronal differentiation. At six weeks, a majority of the HNPCs had migrated into the brain stem and differentiated. Differentiated human cells as well as neurites were observed in the vicinity of the cochlear nucleus. Conclusion. Our results indicate that human neural precursorcells (HNPC integration with host tissue benefits from additional brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF treatment and that these cells appear to be good candidates for further regenerative studies on the auditory nerve (AN.

This invention provides a moldable, multiple-layer composite composition, which is a precursor to an electrically conductive composite flow field plate or bipolar plate. In one preferred embodiment, the composition comprises a plurality of conductive sheets and a plurality of mixture layers of a curable resin and conductive fillers, wherein (A) each conductive sheet is attached to at least one resin-filler mixture layer; (B) at least one of the conductive sheets comprises flexible graphite; and (C) at least one resin-filler mixture layer comprises a thermosetting resin and conductive fillers with the fillers being present in a sufficient quantity to render the resulting flow field plate or bipolar plate electrically conductive with a conductivity no less than 100 S/cm and thickness-direction areal conductivity no less than 200 S/cm.sup.2.

Full Text Available Trigonelline (N-methylnicotinate biosynthesized from nicotinate is one of the metabolically active pyridine alkaloid, widely distributed in plant kingdom. In the present study trigonelline has been isolated from various plant parts and callus cultures of Moringa oleifera Lam., Moringaceae, and was identified using TLC, GLC, GC-MS, which was comparable to that of the standard trigonelline. The trigonelline recovery was found to be maximum in the pods and minimum in flowers. In order to enhance the production of trigonelline in vitro grown cultures, different treatment doses of nicotinic acid (250, 500 and 750 mg L-1 were supplemented in the medium as precursor. Maximum increase (up to 1.10 fold was observed in the treatment dose of 500 mg L-1 of nicotinic acid.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a multifactorial autoimmune disorder where pancreatic beta cells are lost before the clinical manifestations of the disease. Administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or MSCs differentiated into insulin-producing cells (IPCs) have yielded limited success when used therapeutically. We have evaluated the immunoprophylactic potentials of precursors to insulin-producing cells (pIPCs) and IPCs in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice to ask a basic question: do we need to differentiate MSCs into IPCs or will pIPCs suffice to attenuate autoimmune responses in T1D? Bone marrow-derived MSCs from Balb/c mice were characterized following the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) guidelines. MSCs cultured in high-glucose media for 11 to 13 passages were characterized for the expression of pancreatic lineage genes using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Expression of the PDX1 gene in pIPCs was assessed using Western blot and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Triple-positive MSCs were differentiated into IPCs using a three-step protocol after sorting them for cell surface markers, i.e. CD29, CD44, and SCA-1. Nonobese diabetic mice were administered pIPCs, IPCs, or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) into the tail vein at weeks 9 or 10 and followed-up for 29-30 weeks for fasting blood glucose levels. Two consecutive blood sugar levels of more than 250 mg/dl were considered diabetic. MSCs grown in high-glucose media for 11 to 13 passages expressed genes of the pancreatic lineage such as PDX1, beta2, neurogenin, PAX4, Insulin, and glucagon. Furthermore, Western blot and FACS analysis for PDX-1, a transcription factor necessary for beta cell maturation, confirmed that these cells were precursors of insulin-producing cells (pIPCs). NOD mice administered with pIPCs were better protected from developing diabetes with a protective efficacy of 78.4% (p cells seem to have better potential to arrest autoimmune response in type 1 diabetes when

In vitro expansion of human corneal endothelial precursor (HCEP) cells has been reported via production of cell aggregated spheres. However, to translate this procedure in human patients warrants maintaining the position of the eyeballs facing down for 36 h, which is not feasible. In this study, we report a method using a nanocomposite (NC) gel sheet to accomplish the integration of HCEP cells to the endothelium of cadaver bovine's eyes. HCEP cells were isolated from the corneal endothelium of a cadaver human eye and then expanded using a thermoreversible gelation polymer (TGP) as reported earlier. For the study, three cadaver bovine eyes were used. The NC gel sheets were inserted into the bovine eyes', aligned and suture-fixed in position under the host endothelium. HCEP cells previously expanded in the TGP were harvested and injected using a 26-gauge syringe between the endothelium and the NC gel sheet. The eyes were left undisturbed for three hours following which the NC gel sheets were gently removed. The corneas were harvested and subjected to histopathological studies. Histopathological studies showed that all the three corneas used for NC gel sheet implantation showed the presence of engrafted HCEP cells, seen as multi-layered cells over the native endothelium of the bovine cornea. Examination of the NC gel sheets used for implantation showed that only very few corneal endothelial cells remained on the sheets amounting to what could be considered negligible. The use of the NC gel sheet makes HCEP cell transplantation feasible for human patients. Further in vitro basic studies followed by translational studies are necessary to bring this method for clinical application in appropriate indications.

The frequency and phenotype of human T cells that mediate major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-unrestricted cytolysis were analyzed. T cell clones were generated by culturing adherent cell-depleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells at a density of 0.3 cell/well with phytohemagglutinin, recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2), and irradiated autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells and/or Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines. All of the 198 clones generated by this method were T cells (CD2 + , CD3 + , CD4 + or CD2 + , CD3 + , CD8 + ) that possessed potent lytic activity against K562, an erythroleukemia line sensitive to lysis by human natural killer cells, and Cur, a renal carcinoma cell line resistant to human natural killer activity. Cytolysis, measured by 51 Cr release, was MHC-unrestricted, since the clones were able to lyse MHC class I or class II negative targets, as well as MHC class I and class II negative targets. Although the clones produced tissue necrosis factor/lymphotoxin-like molecules, lysis of Cur of K562 was not mediated by a soluble factor secreted by the clones. These data indicate that the capacity for MHC-unrestricted tumoricidal activity and expression of NKH1 and CD11b, but not CD 16, are properties common to all or nearly all human peripheral blood-derived T cell clones regardless of CD4 or CD8 phenotype

Results of experimental study on ionospheric earthquake precursors, program development on processes in the earthquake focus and physical mechanisms of formation of various type precursors are considered. Composition of experimental cosmic system for earthquake precursors monitoring is determined. 36 refs., 5 figs

Chondrules, igneous objects of ∼1 mm in diameter, formed in the earliest solar system via a transient heating event, are divided into two types: main (type I, FeO-poor) and minor (type II, FeO-rich). Using various chondritic materials for different redox conditions and grain sizes, chondrule reproduction experiments were carried out at IW-2 to IW-3.8, with cooling rates mainly ∼100°C/h, with peak temperatures mainly at 1450 °C, and mainly at 100 Pa in a Knudsen cell providing near chemical equilibrium between the charge and the surrounding gas at the peak temperatures. Vapor pressures in the capsule were controlled using solid buffers. After and during the significant evaporation of the iron component from the metallic iron-poor starting materials in near equilibrium, crystallization occurred. This resulted in the formation of a product similar to the type I chondrules. Dusty olivine grains occurred in charges that had precursor type II chondrules containing coarse ferroan olivine, but such grains are not common in type I chondrules. Therefore fine-grained ferroan matrices rather than type II chondrules are main precursor for type I chondrules. The type I chondrules would have evolved via evaporation and condensation in the similar conditions to the present experimental system. Residual gas, which escaped in experiments, could have condensed to form matrices, leading to complementary compositions. Clusters of matrices and primordial chondrules could have been recycled to form main-generation chondrules originated from the shock heating.

The best CZTS solar cell so far was produced by co-sputtering continued with vapour phase sulfurization method. Efficiencies of up to 5.74% were reached by Katagiri et al. The one step electrochemical deposition of copper, zinc, tin and subsequent sulfurization is an alternative fabrication technique for the production of Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 based thin film solar cells. A kesterite based solar cell (size 0.5 cm 2 ) with a conversion efficiency of 3.4% (AM1.5) was produced by vapour phase sulfurization of co-electroplated Cu-Zn-Sn films. We report on results of in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments during crystallisation of kesterite thin films from electrochemically co-deposited metal films. The kesterite crystallisation is completed by the solid state reaction of Cu 2 SnS 3 and ZnS. The measurements show two different reaction paths depending on the metal ratios in the as deposited films. In copper-rich metal films Cu 3 Sn and CuZn were found after electrodeposition. In copper-poor or near stoichiometric precursors additional Cu 6 Sn 5 and Sn phases were detected. The formation mechanism of Cu 2 SnS 3 involves the binary sulphides Cu 2-x S and SnS 2 in the absence of the binary precursor phase Cu 6 Sn 5 . The presence of Cu 6 Sn 5 leads to a preferred formation of Cu 2 SnS 3 via the reaction educts Cu 2-x S and SnS 2 in the presence of a SnS 2 (Cu 4 SnS 6 ) melt. The melt phase may be advantageous in crystallising the kesterite, leading to enhanced grain growth in the presence of a liquid phase

The flavour rich tuberous roots of Decalepis hamiltonii are known for its edible and medicinal use and have become endangered due to commercial over-exploitation. Besides 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy benzaldehyde (2H4MB), other flavour metabolites in tuberous roots include vanillin, 4-Methoxy Cinnamic acid derivatives, aromatic alcohols etc. So far, there are no reports on the pathway of 2H4MB biosynthesis nor there is an organized work on biotransformation using normal and cell suspension cultures for obtaining these metabolites using precursors. The main aim of the study is to develop a method for enhanced production of flavour attributing metabolites through ferulic acid (FA) feeding to the D. hamiltonii callus culture medium. Biomass of D. hamiltonii cell suspension cultures was maximum (200.38 ± 1.56 g/l) by 4th week. Maximum production of 2H4MB was recorded on 4th week (0.08 ± 0.01 mg/100 g dry weight) as quantified by HPLC. Addition of 0.1-1.5 mM ferulic acid as precursor in the culture medium showed significant ( p vanillin, 2H4MB, vanillic acid, ferulic acid were of 0.1 ± 0.02 mg/100 g, 0.44 ± 0.01 mg/100 g, 0.52 ± 0.04 mg/100 g, 0.18 ± 0.02 mg/100 g DW respectively in 4 weeks of cultured cells supplemented with 1 mM ferulic acid as a precursor. The results indicate that, substantial increase in the levels of flavour metabolites in D. hamiltonii callus suspension culture was achieved. This would be having implications in biosynthesis of respective vanilla flavour attributing metabolites at very high levels for their large scale production.

Chinese hamster V79 fibroblasts were irradiated in the gas explosion apparatus and the chemical repair rates of the oxygen-dependent free radical precursors of DNA double-strand breaks (dsb) and lethal lesions measured using filter elution (pH 9.6) and a clonogenic assay. Depletion of cellular GSH levels, from 4.16 fmol/cell to 0.05 fmol/cell, by treatment with buthionine sulphoximine (50 μmol dm -3 ; 18 h), led to sensitization as regards DNA dsb induction and cell killing. This was evident at all time settings but was particularly pronounced when the oxygen shot was given 1 ms after the irradiation pulse. A detailed analysis of the chemical repair kinetics showed that depletion of GSH led to a reduction in the first-order rate constant for dsb precursors from 385 s -1 to 144 s -1 , and for lethal lesion precursors from 533 s -1 to 165 s -1 . (Author)

Two different types of cells in the peritoneal cavity of mice produce mast cell colonies in methylcellulose. Large mast cell colonies are produced by bone marrow-derived precursors resembling lymphoid cells by light microscopy (L-CFU-Mast), whereas medium and small mast cell colonies are produced by morphologically identifiable mast cells (M-CFU-Mast and S-CFU-Mast, respectively). In the present study we eradicated peritoneal mast cells by intraperitoneal (IP) injection of distilled water. The regeneration process was investigated to clarify the relationship between L-CFU-Mast, M-CFU-Mast, and S-CFU-Mast. After injection of distilled water, M-CFU-Mast and S-CFU-Mast disappeared, but L-CFU-Mast increased, and then M-CFU-Mast and S-CFU-Mast appeared, suggesting the presence of a hierarchic relationship. When purified peritoneal mast cells were injected two days after the water injection, the L-CFU-Mast did not increase. In the peritoneal cavity of WBB6F1-+/+ mice that had been lethally irradiated and rescued by bone marrow cells of C57BL/6-bgJ/bgJ (beige, Chediak-Higashi syndrome) mice, L-CFU-Mast were of bgJ/bgJ type, but M-CFU-Mast and S-CFU-Mast were of +/+ type. The injection of distilled water to the radiation chimeras resulted in the development of bgJ/bgJ-type M-CFU-Mast and then S-CFU-Mast. The presence of mast cells appeared to suppress the recruitment of L-CFU-Mast from the bloodstream and to inhibit the differentiation of L-CFU-Mast to M-CFU-Mast

Inverted polymer:fullerene solar cells with ZnO and MoO3 transport layers are demonstrated. ZnO films are prepared through spin casting of a zinc acetylacetonate hydrate solution, followed by low temperature annealing under ambient conditions. The performance of solar cells with an inverted

Inverted polymer: fullerene solar cells with ZnO and MoO(3) transport layers are demonstrated. ZnO films are prepared through spin casting of a zinc acetylacetonate hydrate solution, followed by low temperature annealing under ambient conditions. The performance of solar cells with an inverted

The reciprocal translocation t(12;21)(p13;q22), the most common structural genomic alteration in B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children, results in a chimeric transcription factor TEL-AML1 (ETV6-RUNX1). We identified directly and indirectly regulated target genes utilizing an inducible TEL-AML1 system derived from the murine pro B-cell line BA/F3 and a monoclonal antibody directed against TEL-AML1. By integration of promoter binding identified with chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-on-chip, gene expression and protein output through microarray technology and stable labelling of amino acids in cell culture, we identified 217 directly and 118 indirectly regulated targets of the TEL-AML1 fusion protein. Directly, but not indirectly, regulated promoters were enriched in AML1-binding sites. The majority of promoter regions were specific for the fusion protein and not bound by native AML1 or TEL. Comparison with gene expression profiles from TEL-AML1-positive patients identified 56 concordantly misregulated genes with negative effects on proliferation and cellular transport mechanisms and positive effects on cellular migration, and stress responses including immunological responses. In summary, this work for the first time gives a comprehensive insight into how TEL-AML1 expression may directly and indirectly contribute to alter cells to become prone for leukemic transformation

Synthesis of Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) thin films by short-term sulfurization of sputtered Sn/Zn/Cu precursors under ambient H 2 S is studied. The effect of the sulfurization processes on the film morphology, surface roughness, composition of the CZTS, and the crystallinity was investigated by using scanning electron microscopy, optical profiler, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction respectively. To further explore the CZTS layer, the following additional layers were deposited to complete the solar cells: CdS with chemical bath deposition; ZnO and Al 2 O 3 -doped ZnO with RF magnetron deposition; and, silver fingers as the front contact as the last layer. The optical and morphological properties of the CZTS films were investigated and compared. Subsequently, the electrical characteristics and the efficiencies of the regarding solar cells were analyzed. A maximum efficiency of 3.8% has been obtained for the fast sulfurization (30 min at 580 °C) and finally, the performance is compared with our best cell fabricated through the more common slow annealing. - Highlights: • Development of Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) solar cells using elemental metal sputtering • 112-oriented CZTS films with well-defined morphology obtained • Reported efficiency of 3.8% for a short-term annealing (less than 30 min) under ambient H 2 S • A detailed comparison between the fast and the more common slow annealing is reported

Background: The etiology of esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) in high prevalence regions of China remains unclear. Methods: Endoscopic biopsies were conducted among 7381 inhabitants aged from 25 to 65 of Anyang, China. Results: In this study, 2.57, 0.20 and 0.16% of the participants had mild, moderate and severe squamous dysplasia, respectively; 0.19 and 0.08% showed squamous carcinoma in situ and invasive ESCC. Using deep well (depth >100 meters) as water source (odds ratio=0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.54–0.96) was negatively associated with ESCC and its precursors, whereas tobacco and alcohol use were not significantly associated with ESCC. Conclusions: Water source and other factors in this region need further evaluation by longitudinal studies. PMID:20700119

Ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation of cellular blood components has been proposed as a new technology to prevent HLA sensitization in recipients. Earlier studies have shown that a dose of 2 J/cm 2 abrogates the ability of lymphocytes to serve as stimulators in mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC). In this study the authors evaluate the effect of UV energy on T-lymphocytes for the prevention of transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GvHD). The response of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte precursors against host alloantigens was almost undetectable at a dose of 0.5 J/cm 2 . T-cell proliferation in MLC or in response to phytohaemagglutinin was inhibited by more than 95% at doses of 1 J/cm 2 or higher. The data suggest that UV irradiation can be used to prevent both HLA sensitization and TA-GvHD in recipients. (Author)

We demonstrate a new and simple method for pre-treating the carbon material and iron precursor to prepare oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts, which can produce super-high performance and stability in alkaline solution, with high performance in acid solution. This strategy using cheap materials is simply controllable. Moreover, it has achieved smaller uniform nanoparticles to exhibit high stability, and the synergetic effect of Fe and N offered much higher performance in ORR than commercial Pt/C, with high maximum power density in alkaline and acid fuel cell test. So it can make this kind of catalysts be the most promising alternatives of Pt-based catalysts with best performance/price.

Active cellular transporters of harmful agents-multidrug resistance (mdr) proteins-are present in tumor, stem and endothelial cells, among others. While mdr proteins are broadly studied in tumor cells, their role in non-tumor cells and the significance of their action not connected with removal of harmful xenobiotics is less extensively documented. Proper assessment of mdr proteins expression is difficult. Mdr mRNA presence is most often evaluated but that does not necessarily correlate with the protein level. The protein expression itself is difficult to determine; usually cells with mdr overexpression are studied, not cells under physiological conditions, in which a low expression level of mdr protein is often insufficient for detection in vitro. Various methods are used to identify mdr mRNA and protein expression, together with functional tests demonstrating their biological drug transporting activities. Data comparing different methods of investigating expression of mdr mRNAs and their corresponding proteins are still scarce. In this article we present the results of a study concerning mdr mRNA and protein expression. Our goal was to search for the best method to investigate the expression level and functional activity of five selected mdr proteins-MDR1, BCRP, MRP1, MRP4 and MRP5-in established in vitro cell lines of human endothelial cells (ECs) and their progenitors. Endothelial cells demonstrated mdr presence at the mRNA level, which was not always confirmed at the protein level or in functional tests. Therefore, several different assays had to be applied for evaluation of mdr proteins expression and functions in endothelial cells. Among them functional tests seemed to be the most conclusive, although not very specific.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are used clinically for transplantation treatment to rebuild a patient's hematopoietic system in many diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. Elucidating the mechanisms controlling HSCs self-renewal and differentiation is important for application of HSCs for research and clinical uses. However, it is not possible to obtain large quantity of HSCs due to their inability to proliferate in vitro. To overcome this hurdle, we used a mouse bone marrow derived cell line, the EML (Erythroid, Myeloid, and Lymphocytic) cell line, as a model system for this study. RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) has been increasingly used to replace microarray for gene expression studies. We report here a detailed method of using RNA-Seq technology to investigate the potential key factors in regulation of EML cell self-renewal and differentiation. The protocol provided in this paper is divided into three parts. The first part explains how to culture EML cells and separate Lin-CD34+ and Lin-CD34- cells. The second part of the protocol offers detailed procedures for total RNA preparation and the subsequent library construction for high-throughput sequencing. The last part describes the method for RNA-Seq data analysis and explains how to use the data to identify differentially expressed transcription factors between Lin-CD34+ and Lin-CD34- cells. The most significantly differentially expressed transcription factors were identified to be the potential key regulators controlling EML cell self-renewal and differentiation. In the discussion section of this paper, we highlight the key steps for successful performance of this experiment. In summary, this paper offers a method of using RNA-Seq technology to identify potential regulators of self-renewal and differentiation in EML cells. The key factors identified are subjected to downstream functional analysis in vitro and in vivo.

Highlights: • The deficiency of p100 enhances c-Rel-, not RelA-, dependent cytokine expression. • p100 associates with c-Rel in the steady state but dissociates after LPS stimulation. • The deficiency of p100 enhances the nuclear translocation of c-Rel. • p100 negatively regulates the c-Rel function. - Abstract: Nuclear factor κB regulates various genes involved in the immune response, inflammation, cell survival, and development. NF-κB activation is controlled by proteins possessing ankyrin repeats, such as IκBs. A precursor of the NF-κB2 (p52) subunit, p100, contains ankyrin repeats in its C-terminal portion and has been found to act as a cytoplasmic inhibitor of RelA in the canonical pathway of NF-κB activation. Here, we demonstrate that p100 also suppresses c-Rel function in dendritic cells. Expression of the p19 and p40 subunits of IL-23, a c-Rel-dependent cytokine, was enhanced in p100-deficient cells, although expression of a RelA-dependent cytokine, TNF-α, was reduced. Nuclear translocation of c-Rel was enhanced in p100-deficient cells. p100, and not the processed p52 form, associated with c-Rel in the steady state and dissociated immediately after lipopolysaccharide stimulation in wild-type dendritic cells. Four hours after the stimulation, p100 was newly synthesized and associated with c-Rel again. In cells expressing both c-Rel and RelA, c-Rel is preferentially suppressed by p100

Full Text Available Periodontitis is the most common cause of tooth loss and bone destruction in adults worldwide. Human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs may represent promising new therapeutic biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. Stromal precursor antigen-1 (STRO-1 has been shown to have roles in adherence, proliferation, and multipotency. Parathyroid hormone (PTH has been shown to enhance proliferation in osteoblasts. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to compare the functions of STRO-1(+ and STRO-1(− hPDLSCs and to investigate the effects of PTH on the osteogenic capacity of STRO-1(+ hPDLSCs in order to evaluate their potential applications in the treatment of periodontitis. Our data showed that STRO-1(+ hPDLSCs expressed higher levels of the PTH-1 receptor (PTH1R than STRO-1(− hPDLSCs. In addition, intermittent PTH treatment enhanced the expression of PTH1R and osteogenesis-related genes in STRO-1(+ hPDLSCs. PTH-treated cells also exhibited increased alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization ability. Therefore, STRO-1(+ hPDLSCs represented a more promising cell resource for biomaterials and tissue engineering applications. Intermittent PTH treatment improved the capacity for STRO-1(+ hPDLSCs to repair damaged tissue and ameliorate the symptoms of periodontitis.

In several types of thalassemia (including β039-thalassemia), stop codon mutations lead to premature translation termination and to mRNA destabilization through nonsense-mediated decay. Drugs (for instance aminoglycosides) can be designed to suppress premature termination, inducing a ribosomal readthrough. These findings have introduced new hopes for the development of a pharmacologic approach to the cure of this disease. However, the effects of aminoglycosides on globin mRNA carrying β-thalassemia stop mutations have not yet been investigated. In this study, we have used a lentiviral construct containing the β039- thalassemia globin gene under control of the β-globin promoter and a LCR cassette. We demonstrated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis the production of β-globin by K562 cell clones expressing the β039-thalassemia globin gene and treated with G418. More importantly, after FACS and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses, erythroid precursorcells from β039-thalassemia patients were demonstrated to be able to produce β-globin and adult hemoglobin after treatment with G418. This study strongly suggests that ribosomal readthrough should be considered a strategy for developing experimental strategies for the treatment of β0-thalassemia caused by stop codon mutations. PMID:19810011

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is a very promising semiconductor material when used for the absorber layer of thin film solar cells because it consists of only abundant and inexpensive elements. In addition, a low-cost solution process is applicable to the preparation of CZTS absorber films, which reduces the cost when this film is used for the production of thin film solar cells. To fabricate solution-processed CZTS thin film using an easily scalable and relatively safe method, we suggest a precursor solution paste coating method with a two-step heating process (oxidation and sulfurization). The synthesized CZTS film was observed to be composed of grains of a size of ~300 nm, showing an overall densely packed morphology with some pores and voids. A solar cell device with this film as an absorber layer showed the highest efficiency of 3.02% with an open circuit voltage of 556 mV, a short current density of 13.5 mA/cm(2), and a fill factor of 40.3%. We also noted the existence of Cd moieties and an inhomogeneous Zn distribution in the CZTS film, which may have been triggered by the presence of pores and voids in the CZTS film.

Injection of S. typhimurium antigens significantly (9-fold) increased cloning efficiency and, hence, the content of stromal precursorcells in the spleen as soon as after 24 h. These parameters returned to normal by days 6-15 after immunization. Cultured splenocytes collected from immune (but not intact) animals expressed the genes of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β (on days 1, 6, 15) and IL-6 (on days 1 and 6), TNF-α (on days 6 and 15), and of IFN-α and IL-18 (on days 6 and 15). The expression of IL-4 gene was suppressed on day 6 after immunization, of IL-10 gene on days 1 and 6, of IL-6 gene on day 15. Hence, no signs of immune response suppression by stromal cells were found in this system. The spectrum and dynamics of the expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes in stromal cell cultures from the spleen of immunized mice seemed to correspond to those needed for support of the immune response to S. typhimurium antigens, observed in immunized animals. The results indicate possible involvement of stromal cells in the realization of immune response in vivo. The increase of stromal precursorcells cloning efficiency in response to antigen injection could not be reproduced in vitro: the presence of S. typhimurium antigens in primary cultures of intact mouse bone marrow and spleen throughout the entire period of culturing ≈ 20-fold reduced cloning efficiency in cultures.

The consumption of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is widespread among athletes when faced with muscle soreness or injury, but the effects of NSAIDs on satellite cell activity in humans are unknown. To investigate this, 14 healthy male endurance athletes (mean peak oxygen consumption...... 62 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1)) volunteered for the study, which involved running 36 km. They were divided into two groups and received either 100 mg indomethacin per day or placebo. Muscle biopsies collected before the run and on days 1, 3, and 8 afterward were analyzed for satellite cells...

Host-vs-graft activity presents a major obstacle for transplantation of T cell-depleted bone marrow in HLA-mismatched patients. In a primate model, conditioned exactly like leukemia patients, it was shown that residual host clonable T cells, as well as alloreactive cytotoxic precursors, were present in peripheral blood and spleen after completion of cytoreduction. We have now extended this study in a mouse model for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. C 3 H/HeJ mice were treated by 9 Gy total body irradiation (TBI), and 24 hr later their spleen cells were cultured in the presence of T cell growth factor and phytohemagglutinin according to the limit dilution procedure. After 7 days of culture the average frequency of clonable cells was 2.5 X 10(-3) compared with 37 X 10(-3) in the spleens of normal mice. The T cell derivation of the growing cells was ascertained by complement-mediated cytotoxicity with anti-Thy-1 as well as with anti-Lyt-2 and anti-Ly-3T4. In parallel, we found that the initial engraftment rate of bone marrow allograft in mice given 9 Gy TBI was lower than that found in recipients of syngeneic marrow. The initial engraftment rate was measured by the number of colony-forming units in the spleen and by splenic uptake of 125 IUdR. A slight increase in TBI from 9 Gy to 11 Gy markedly reduced the difference in the number of spleen colony-forming units or the IUdR uptake between recipients of allogeneic and syngeneic bone marrow. This increase in TBI also coincided with eradication of detectable clonable T cells. Moreover, in mice transplanted with T cell-depleted bone marrow after 9 Gy TBI, we also demonstrate that cytotoxicity against donor-type target cells is present in the spleen 10 to 14 days posttransplantation, whereas in mice treated by 11 Gy TBI such alloreactivity could not be detected

Cocaine-and Amphetamine Regulated Transcript (CART) peptide is expressed in the brain, endocrine and neuroendocrine systems and secreted into the serum. It is thought to play a role in regulation of hypothalamic pituitary functions. Here we report a spatial and temporal analysis of Cart expression in the pituitaries of adult and developing normal and mutant mice with hypopituitarism. We found that Prop1 is not necessary for initiation of Cart expression in the fetal pituitary at e14.5, but it is required indirectly for maintenance of Cart expression in the postnatal anterior pituitary gland. Pou1f1 deficiency has no effect on Cart expression before or after birth. There is no 1:1 correspondence between CART and any particular cell type. In neonates, CART is detected primarily in non-proliferating, POU1F1-positive cells. CART is also found in some cells that express TSH and GH suggesting a correspondence with committed progenitors of the POU1F1 lineage. In summary, we have characterized the normal temporal and cell specific expression of CART in mouse development and demonstrate that postnatal CART expression in the pituitary gland requires PROP1. PMID:27685990

Full Text Available Cocaine-and Amphetamine Regulated Transcript (CART peptide is expressed in the brain, endocrine and neuroendocrine systems and secreted into the serum. It is thought to play a role in regulation of hypothalamic pituitary functions. Here we report a spatial and temporal analysis of Cart expression in the pituitaries of adult and developing normal and mutant mice with hypopituitarism. We found that Prop1 is not necessary for initiation of Cart expression in the fetal pituitary at e14.5, but it is required indirectly for maintenance of Cart expression in the postnatal anterior pituitary gland. Pou1f1 deficiency has no effect on Cart expression before or after birth. There is no 1:1 correspondence between CART and any particular cell type. In neonates, CART is detected primarily in non-proliferating, POU1F1-positive cells. CART is also found in some cells that express TSH and GH suggesting a correspondence with committed progenitors of the POU1F1 lineage. In summary, we have characterized the normal temporal and cell specific expression of CART in mouse development and demonstrate that postnatal CART expression in the pituitary gland requires PROP1.

The rostral migratory stream (RMS) is the main pathway by which newly born subventricular zone (SVZ) cells reach the olfactory bulb (OB) in rodents. This migration has been well studied in vivo, but an organotypic in vitro model would facilitate more experimental investigations. Here we introduce...

For planar structured organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PerSCs) with the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) hole transport layer, the open-circuit voltage (V oc ) of the device is limited to be about 1.0 V, resulting in inferior performance in comparison with TiO 2 -based planar counterparts. Therefore, increasing V oc of the PEDOT:PSS-based planar device is an important way to enhance the efficiency of the PerSCs. Herein, we demonstrate a novel approach for perovskite film formation and the film is formed by slow growth from lead acetate precursor via a one-step spin-coating process without the thermal annealing (TA) process. Because the perovskite layer grows slowly and naturally, high-quality perovskite film can be achieved with larger crystalline particles, less defects, and smoother surface morphology. Ultraviolet absorption, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy (photoluminescence), and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy are used to clarify the crystallinity, morphology, and internal defects of perovskite thin films. The power conversion efficiency of p-i-n PerSCs based on slow-grown film (16.33%) shows greatly enhanced performance compared to that of the control device based on traditional thermally annealed perovskite film (14.33%). Furthermore, the V oc of the slow-growing device reaches 1.12 V, which is 0.1 V higher than that of the TA device. These findings indicate that slow growth of the perovskite layer from lead acetate precursor is a promising approach to achieve high-quality perovskite film for high-performance PerSCs.

The best CZTS solar cell so far was produced by co-sputtering continued with vapour phase sulfurization method. Efficiencies of up to 5.74% were reached by Katagiri et al. The one step electrochemical deposition of copper, zinc, tin and subsequent sulfurization is an alternative fabrication technique for the production of Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} based thin film solar cells. A kesterite based solar cell (size 0.5 cm{sup 2}) with a conversion efficiency of 3.4% (AM1.5) was produced by vapour phase sulfurization of co-electroplated Cu-Zn-Sn films. We report on results of in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments during crystallisation of kesterite thin films from electrochemically co-deposited metal films. The kesterite crystallisation is completed by the solid state reaction of Cu{sub 2}SnS{sub 3} and ZnS. The measurements show two different reaction paths depending on the metal ratios in the as deposited films. In copper-rich metal films Cu{sub 3}Sn and CuZn were found after electrodeposition. In copper-poor or near stoichiometric precursors additional Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5} and Sn phases were detected. The formation mechanism of Cu{sub 2}SnS{sub 3} involves the binary sulphides Cu{sub 2-x}S and SnS{sub 2} in the absence of the binary precursor phase Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5}. The presence of Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5} leads to a preferred formation of Cu{sub 2}SnS{sub 3} via the reaction educts Cu{sub 2-x}S and SnS{sub 2} in the presence of a SnS{sub 2}(Cu{sub 4}SnS{sub 6}) melt. The melt phase may be advantageous in crystallising the kesterite, leading to enhanced grain growth in the presence of a liquid phase.

Sonic hedgehog (SHH) is an essential morphogenetic signal that dictates cell fate decisions in several developing organs in mammals. In vitro data suggest that SHH is required to specify LHX3+/LHX4+ Rathke's pouch (RP) progenitor identity. However, in vivo studies have failed to reveal such a function, supporting instead a crucial role for SHH in promoting proliferation of these RP progenitors and for differentiation of pituitary cell types. Here, we have used a genetic approach to demonstrate that activation of the SHH pathway is necessary to induce LHX3+/LHX4+ RP identity in mouse embryos. First, we show that conditional deletion of Shh in the anterior hypothalamus results in a fully penetrant phenotype characterised by a complete arrest of RP development, with lack of Lhx3/Lhx4 expression in RP epithelium at 9.0 days post coitum (dpc) and total loss of pituitary tissue by 12.5 dpc. Conversely, overactivation of the SHH pathway by conditional deletion of Ptch1 in RP progenitors leads to severe hyperplasia and enlargement of the Sox2+ stem cell compartment by the end of gestation. PMID:28807898

A preliminary investigation into the origin of wood-derived macerals has established the existence of autofluorescent maceral precursors in the secondary xylem of swamp-inhabiting plant species. The optical character and fluorescent properties of microtomed thin-sections of modern woods from the Florida Everglades and Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia are compared to the character and properties of their peatified equivalents from various Everglades and Okefenokee peat horizons and their lignitic equivalents from the Brandon lignite of Vermont and the Trail Ridge lignitic peat from northern Florida. The inherent fluorescence of woody cell walls is believed to be caused by lignin though other cell wall components may contribute. The fluorescence spectra for several wood and cell types had a ..gamma../sub m//sub a//sub x/ of 452 nm and Q value of 0.00. The color as observed in blue light and the spectral geometry as measured in UV light of peatified and lignitic woody cell walls (potential textinites) may change progressively during early coalification. Cell wall-derived maceral material is shown to maintain its fluorescing properties after being converted to a structureless material, perhaps a corpohuminite or humodetrinite precursor. Fluorescing xylem cell contents, such as condensed tannins or essential oils, can maintain the fluorescent character through early coalification. Xylem cell walls and xylem cell contents are shown to provide fluorescing progenitor materials which would not require subsequent infusion with 'lipid' materials to account for their fluorescence as phytoclast material or as macerals in coal. 35 references.

Gene expression studies have consistently identified a HOXA-overexpressing cluster of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias, but it is unclear whether these constitute a homogeneous clinical entity, and the biological consequences of HOXA overexpression have not been systematically examined. We characterized the biology and outcome of 55 HOXA-positive cases among 209 patients with adult T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia uniformly treated during the Group for Research on Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (GRAALL)-2003 and -2005 studies. HOXA-positive patients had markedly higher rates of an early thymic precursor-like immunophenotype (40.8% versus 14.5%, P=0.0004), chemoresistance (59.3% versus 40.8%, P=0.026) and positivity for minimal residual disease (48.5% versus 23.5%, P=0.01) than the HOXA-negative group. These differences were due to particularly high frequencies of chemoresistant early thymic precursor-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia in HOXA-positive cases harboring fusion oncoproteins that transactivate HOXA Strikingly, the presence of an early thymic precursor-like immunophenotype was associated with marked outcome differences within the HOXA-positive group (5-year overall survival 31.2% in HOXA-positive early thymic precursor versus 66.7% in HOXA-positive non-early thymic precursor, P=0.03), but not in HOXA-negative cases (5-year overall survival 74.2% in HOXA-negative early thymic precursor versus 57.2% in HOXA-negative non-early thymic precursor, P=0.44). Multivariate analysis further revealed that HOXA positivity independently affected event-free survival (P=0.053) and relapse risk (P=0.039) of chemoresistant T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. These results show that the underlying mechanism of HOXA deregulation dictates the clinico-biological phenotype, and that the negative prognosis of early thymic precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia is exclusive to HOXA-positive patients, suggesting that early treatment intensification is currently

Full Text Available Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM is the most common primary brain tumor in adults and carries a dismal prognosis. We have developed a conditional cytotoxic/immunotherapeutic approach using adenoviral vectors (Ads encoding the immunostimulatory cytokine, human soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (hsFlt3L and the conditional cytotoxic molecule, i.e., Herpes Simplex Type 1- thymide kinase (TK. This therapy triggers an anti-tumor immune response that leads to tumor regression and anti-tumor immunological memory in intracranial rodent cancer models. We aim to test the efficacy of this immunotherapy in dogs bearing spontaneous GBM. In view of the controversy regarding the effect of human cytokines on dog immune cells, and considering that the efficacy of this treatment depends on hsFlt3L-stimulated dendritic cells (DCs, in the present work we tested the ability of Ad-encoded hsFlt3L to generate DCs from dog peripheral blood and compared its effects with canine IL-4 and GM-CSF.Our results demonstrate that hsFlT3L expressed form an Ad vector, generated DCs from peripheral blood cultures with very similar morphological and phenotypic characteristics to canine IL-4 and GM-CSF-cultured DCs. These include phagocytic activity and expression of CD11c, MHCII, CD80 and CD14. Maturation of DCs cultured under both conditions resulted in increased secretion of IL-6, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma. Importantly, hsFlt3L-derived antigen presenting cells showed allostimulatory potential highlighting their ability to present antigen to T cells and elicit their proliferation.These results demonstrate that hsFlt3L induces the proliferation of canine DCs and support its use in upcoming clinical trials for canine GBM. Our data further support the translation of hsFlt3L to be used for dendritic cells' vaccination and gene therapeutic approaches from rodent models to canine patients and its future implementation in human clinical trials.

We report that the T-box transcription factor Midline (Mid), an evolutionary conserved homolog of the vertebrate Tbx20 protein, functions within the Notch–Delta signaling pathway essential for specifying the fates of sensory organ precursorcells. This complements an established history of research showing that Mid regulates the cell-fate specification of diverse cell types within the developing heart, epidermis and central nervous system. Tbx20 has been detected in diverse neuronal and epithelial cells of embryonic eye tissues in both mice and humans. However, the mechanisms by which either Mid or Tbx20 function to regulate cell-fate specification or other critical aspects of eye development including cell survival have not yet been elucidated. We have also gathered preliminary evidence suggesting that Mid may play an indirect, but vital role in selecting SOP cells within the third-instar larval eye disc by regulating the expression of the proneural gene atonal. During subsequent pupal stages, Mid specifies SOP cell fates as a member of the Notch–Delta signaling hierarchy and is essential for maintaining cell viability within by inhibiting apoptotic pathways. We present several new hypotheses that seek to understand the role of Mid in regulating developmental processes downstream of the Notch receptor that are critical for specifying unique cell fates, patterning the adult eye and maintaining cellular homeostasis during eye disc morphogenesis. PMID:23962751

Full Text Available We have demonstrated that cardiac fibrosis arises from the differentiation of monocyte-derived fibroblasts. We present here evidence that this process requires sequential Th1 and Th2 induction promoting analogous M1 (classically activated and M2 (alternatively activated macrophage polarity. Our models are 1 mice subjected to daily repetitive ischemia reperfusion (I/R without infarction and 2 the in vitro transmigration of human mononuclear leukocytes through human cardiac microvascular endothelium. In the mouse heart, leukocytes entered after I/R in response to monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1 which is the major cytokine induced by this protocol. Monocytes within the heart then differentiated into fibroblasts making collagen while bearing the markers of M2 macrophages. T cells were seen in these hearts as well as in the human heart with cardiomyopathy. In the in vitro model, transmigration of the leukocytes was likewise induced by MCP-1 and some monocytes matured into fibroblasts bearing M2 markers. In this model, the MCP-1 stimulus induced a transient Th1 and M1 response that developed into a predominately Th2 and M2 response. An increase in the Th2 product IL-13 was present in both the human and the mouse models, consistent with its known role in fibrosis. In these simplified models, in which there is no cell death to stimulate an anti-inflammatory response, there is nonetheless a resolution of inflammation enabling a profibrotic environment. This induces the maturation of monocyte precursors into fibroblasts.

Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} (CZTS) thin films were grown on Mo-coated Soda-lime-glass (SLG) substrates by sulfurization of sputtered ZnS/Sn/CuS precursors at different temperatures i.e. 560 °C, 580 °C and 600 °C. The effects of sulfurization temperature on the quality of CZTS thin films and solar cells were investigated. The crystal structure, surface morphology, chemical composition, phase purity and surface roughness of CZTS thin films fabricated at different sulfurization temperatures were characterized by X Ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscope (AFM), respectively. The results show that all CZTS thin films exhibit a polycrystalline kesterite structure and preferred (112) orientation. For the sulfurization temperature of 580 °C, the obtained CZTS thin films are dense and flat with larger grain size. Meanwhile composition studying indicates that the fabricated CZTS with single phase is copper poor and zinc rich. Furthermore, the surface roughness of CZTS film is the lowest. Finally, the CZTS solar cells with the structure of SLG/Mo/CZTS/CdS/i-ZnO/ITO/Al were fabricated and demonstrated the best power conversion efficiency of 3.59% when used sulfurization temperature was 580 °C.

Promotion of remyelination is an important therapeutic strategy to facilitate functional recovery after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) or oligodendrocyte precursorcells (OPCs) has been used to enhance remyelination after SCI. However, the microenvironment in the injured spinal cord is inhibitory for oligodendrocyte (OL) differentiation of NSCs or OPCs. Identifying the signaling pathways that inhibit OL differentiation in the injured spinal cord could lead to new therapeutic strategies to enhance remyelination and functional recovery after SCI. In the present study, we show that reactive astrocytes from the injured rat spinal cord or their conditioned media inhibit OL differentiation of adult OPCs with concurrent promotion of astrocyte differentiation. The expression of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) is dramatically increased in the reactive astrocytes and their conditioned media. Importantly, blocking BMP activity by BMP receptor antagonist, noggin, reverse the effects of active astrocytes on OPC differentiation by increasing the differentiation of OL from OPCs while decreasing the generation of astrocytes. These data indicate that the upregulated bone morphogenetic proteins in the reactive astrocytes are major factors to inhibit OL differentiation of OPCs and to promote its astrocyte differentiation. These data suggest that manipulation of BMP signaling in the endogenous or grafted NSCs or OPCs may be a useful therapeutic strategy to increase their OL differentiation and remyelination and enhance functional recovery after SCI.

Scandia ceria stabilized zirconia (10Sc1CeSZ) powders are synthesized by polymeric precursor method for use as the electrolyte of anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The synthesized powders are characterized in terms of crystalline structure, particle shape and size distribution by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS). 10Sc1CeSZ electrolyte films are deposited on green anode substrate by screen-printing method. Effects of 10Sc1CeSZ powder characteristics on sintered films are investigated regarding the integration process for application as the electrolytes in anode-supported SOFCs. It is found that the 10Sc1CeSZ films made from nano-sized powders with average size of 655 nm are very porous with many open pores. In comparison, the 10Sc1CeSZ films made from micron-sized powders with average size of 2.5 μm, which are obtained by calcination of nano-sized powders at higher temperatures, are much denser with a few closed pinholes. The cell performances are 911 mW cm-2 at the current density of 1.25 A cm-2 and 800 °C by application of Ce0.8Gd0.2O2 (CGO) barrier layer and La0.6Sr0.4CoO3 (LSC) cathode.

The anterograde intraflagellar transport motor protein, kif3a, regulates the integrity of primary cilia and various cellular functions, however, the role of kif3a in dental mesenchymal stem/precursorcell differentiation remains to be fully elucidated. In the present study, the expression of kif3a was knocked down in human dental follicle cells (hDFCs) and human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) using short hairpin RNA. The results of subsequent immunofluorescence revealed that knocking down kif3a resulted in the loss of primary cilia, which led to impairment of substantial mineralization and expression of the differentiation‑associated markers, including alkaline phosphatase, Runt‑related transcription factor 2, dentin matrix protein 1 and dentin sialophosphoprotein in the hDFCs and hDPCs. The results of reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses showed that the expression levels of Wnt3a‑mediated active β‑catenin and lymphoid enhancer‑binding factor 1 were attenuated, whereas the expression of phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β was enhanced, in the kif3a‑knockdown cells. In addition, exogenous Wnt3a partially rescued osteoblastic differentiation in the hDFCs and hDPCs. These results demonstrated that inhibition of kif3a in the hDFCs and hDPCs disrupted primary cilia formation and/or function, and indicated that kif3a is important in the differentiation of hDFCs and hDPCs through the Wnt pathway. These findings not only enhance current understanding of tooth development and diseases of tooth mineralization, but also indicate possible strategies to regulate mineralization during tooth repair and regeneration.

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We developed an aqueous polymer-assisted deposition method to improve the chemical stability of the TiCl{sub 4} aqueous solution. • The Ti{sup 4+} is encapsulated by the polymer can maintain their initial performances for several months. • The film is dense, smooth and uniform, preparing by this method. • The power conversion efficiency of the DSSC based on P-TiO{sub 2} compact film is about 12.5% higher than that based on H-TiO{sub 2}. - Abstract: A compact layer (blocking layer) can effectively block the direct contact between the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate and electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The TiCl{sub 4} hydrolysis has been widely adopted for preparing the TiO{sub 2} compact layer (H-TiO{sub 2}). However, the TiCl{sub 4} aqueous solution is unstable for its high reactivity. To improve the chemical stability of TiCl{sub 4} aqueous solution, the Ti{sup 4+} is encapsulated by the polymer, polyethyleneimine (PEI). Experimentals show that the Ti-PEI precursor solution can maintain their initial performances for several months. The resulting TiO{sub 2} film (P-TiO{sub 2}) grown by the Ti-PEI precursor is dense, smooth and uniform without any visible and detectable cracks or voids. The P-TiO{sub 2} compact layer is even denser than the H-TiO{sub 2} compact layer, suggesting reducing the electron recombination and prolonging the electron lifetime in dye-sensitized solar cells. Indeed, the electron lifetime of the DSSC based on the P-TiO{sub 2} is 13.15 ms, which is longer than the 10.83 ms based on H-TiO{sub 2}. Meanwhile, the power conversion efficiency of the DSSC based on P-TiO{sub 2} compact film is about 12.5% higher than that based on H-TiO{sub 2}. Therefore, this encapsulation technology can not only improve the stability of the metal ions solution but also meet a large-scale fabrication demand of the TiO{sub 2} compact layer in future DSSCs.

Peptidoglycan encases the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane to protect the cell from lysis due to the turgor. The final steps of peptidoglycan synthesis require a membrane-anchored substrate called lipid II, in which the peptidoglycan subunit is linked to the carrier lipid undecaprenol via a pyrophosphate moiety. Lipid II is the target of glycopeptide antibiotics and several antimicrobial peptides, and is degraded by 'attacking' enzymes involved in bacterial competition to induce lysis. Here we describe two protocols using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively, to assay the digestion of lipid II by phosphatases such as Colicin M or the LXG toxin protein TelC from Streptococcus intermedius . The TLC method can also monitor the digestion of undecaprenyl (pyro)phosphate, whereas the HPLC method allows to separate the di-, mono- or unphosphorylated disaccharide pentapeptide products of lipid II.

Full Text Available Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. A subset of medulloblastoma originates from granule cellprecursors (GCPs of the developing cerebellum and demonstrates aberrant hedgehog signaling, typically due to inactivating mutations in the receptor PTCH1, a pathomechanism recapitulated in Ptch1(+/- mice. As nitric oxide may regulate GCP proliferation and differentiation, we crossed Ptch1(+/- mice with mice lacking inducible nitric oxide synthase (Nos2 to investigate a possible influence on tumorigenesis. We observed a two-fold higher medulloblastoma rate in Ptch1(+/- Nos2(-/- mice compared to Ptch1(+/- Nos2(+/+ mice. To identify the molecular mechanisms underlying this finding, we performed gene expression profiling of medulloblastomas from both genotypes, as well as normal cerebellar tissue samples of different developmental stages and genotypes. Downregulation of hedgehog target genes was observed in postnatal cerebellum from Ptch1(+/+ Nos2(-/- mice but not from Ptch1(+/- Nos2(-/- mice. The most consistent effect of Nos2 deficiency was downregulation of growth-associated protein 43 (Gap43. Functional studies in neuronal progenitor cells demonstrated nitric oxide dependence of Gap43 expression and impaired migration upon Gap43 knock-down. Both effects were confirmed in situ by immunofluorescence analyses on tissue sections of the developing cerebellum. Finally, the number of proliferating GCPs at the cerebellar periphery was decreased in Ptch1(+/+ Nos2(-/- mice but increased in Ptch1(+/- Nos2(-/ (- mice relative to Ptch1(+/- Nos2(+/+ mice. Taken together, these results indicate that Nos2 deficiency promotes medulloblastoma development in Ptch1(+/- mice through retention of proliferating GCPs in the external granular layer due to reduced Gap43 expression. This study illustrates a new role of nitric oxide signaling in cerebellar development and demonstrates that the localization of pre-neoplastic cells during

Two different objective have been pursued in the present investigation: (1) optimization of the CuInSe{sub 2} preparation parameters from electrodeposited precursors, and (2) evaluation of their photovoltaic behavior by preparing and enhancing Mo/CuInSe{sub 2}/CdS/TCO devices. When Cu-In-Se precursors are directly electrodeposited, the applied potential fit is essential to improve the photovoltaic performance. Suitable absorbers have been also obtained by evaporing an In layer onto electrodeposited Cu-Se precursors. In this case, the substrate temperature during evaporation determines the CuInSe{sub 2} quality. Similar results have been reached by substituting typical Mo-Coated glass substrates by flexible Mo foils. Different TCO tested (ZnO and ITO) have been found equivalent as front electrical contact in the devices. Solar cell performance can be improved by annealing in air at 200 degree centigree. (Author) 46 refs.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a group of clonal stem cell disorders characterized by hematopoietic insufficiency. The accurate risk stratification of patients with MDS is essential for selection of appropriate therapies. We herein conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine the prognostic value of periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) reaction-positive erythroblasts in MDS patients. We examined the PAS positivity of the bone marrow erythroblasts of 144 patients newly diagnosed with MDS; 26 (18.1%) of them had PAS-positive erythroblasts, whereas 118 (81.9%) did not. The PAS-positive group showed significantly poorer karyotypes as defined in the revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) and higher scores in age-adjusted IPSS-R (IPSS-RA) than the PAS-negative group. Overall survival (OS) and leukemia-free survival (LFS) were also significantly shorter in the PAS-positive group than in the PAS-negative group. Similar results were obtained when only high- and very high risk groups were analyzed using IPSS-RA. This retrospective study suggested that the PAS positivity of erythroblasts is an additional prognostic factor combined with other risk scores for OS and LFS in MDS, and our results may contribute to improved clinical decision-making and rapid risk stratification.

In this work, the influences of cationic precursors on the quality of photoelectrode, consequently on the performance of the quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) have been studied. CdS QDSCs have been prepared using successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method. Three cadmium precursors including nitrate (Cd(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}), chloride (CdCl{sub 2}), and acetate (Cd(Ac){sub 2}) were employed for the synthesis and absorption of CdS nanoparticles on nanostructure TiO{sub 2} film. The loading amount and nanoparticle size of the CdS on mesoporous TiO{sub 2} film showed a significant difference while using various cadmium precursors in the same SILAR cycles. Both the light-harvesting ability and the obtained incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency values show the trend of deposition rate caused by cadmium precursors. Further, it was proposed that an effective cationic precursor could provide a good connection between QD sensitizer and TiO{sub 2} interface by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis. Under AM 1.5 G full one sun illumination, the final power conversion efficiency of CdS QDSC based on Cd(Ac){sub 2} was 2.10 %, and PCE values of 1.57 and 1.20 % were obtained for solar cells sensitized by CdS QDs prepared by CdCl{sub 2} and Cd(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}, respectively. The cationic precursor effect was further applied in PbS/CdS co-sensitized solar cells. The PbS/CdS QDSCs based on acetate cationic precursors provide a photocurrent of 19.24 mA/cm{sup 2} and PCE of 3.23 % in comparison with 11.26 mA and 2.13 % obtained with nitrate acetate salts. Noticeably, the CdS and PbS/CdS QDSCs based on various cationic precursors prepared by SILAR exhibited good photocurrent stability under several light on–off cycles.

In this work, the influences of cationic precursors on the quality of photoelectrode, consequently on the performance of the quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) have been studied. CdS QDSCs have been prepared using successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method. Three cadmium precursors including nitrate (Cd(NO 3 ) 2 ), chloride (CdCl 2 ), and acetate (Cd(Ac) 2 ) were employed for the synthesis and absorption of CdS nanoparticles on nanostructure TiO 2 film. The loading amount and nanoparticle size of the CdS on mesoporous TiO 2 film showed a significant difference while using various cadmium precursors in the same SILAR cycles. Both the light-harvesting ability and the obtained incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency values show the trend of deposition rate caused by cadmium precursors. Further, it was proposed that an effective cationic precursor could provide a good connection between QD sensitizer and TiO 2 interface by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis. Under AM 1.5 G full one sun illumination, the final power conversion efficiency of CdS QDSC based on Cd(Ac) 2 was 2.10 %, and PCE values of 1.57 and 1.20 % were obtained for solar cells sensitized by CdS QDs prepared by CdCl 2 and Cd(NO 3 ) 2 , respectively. The cationic precursor effect was further applied in PbS/CdS co-sensitized solar cells. The PbS/CdS QDSCs based on acetate cationic precursors provide a photocurrent of 19.24 mA/cm 2 and PCE of 3.23 % in comparison with 11.26 mA and 2.13 % obtained with nitrate acetate salts. Noticeably, the CdS and PbS/CdS QDSCs based on various cationic precursors prepared by SILAR exhibited good photocurrent stability under several light on–off cycles

Nickel and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) anodes were fabricated by solution precursor plasma spraying (SPPS) and incorporated into metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). A power density of 0.45 W cm-2 at 0.7 V and a peak power density of 0.52 W cm-2 at 750 °C in humidified H2 was obtained, which are the first performance results reported for an SOFC having an anode fabricated by SPPS. The effects of solution composition, plasma gas composition, and stand-off distance on the composition of the deposited Ni-YSZ coatings by SPPS were evaluated. It was found that the addition of citric acid to the aqueous solution delayed re-solidification of NiO particles, improving the deposition efficiency and coating adhesion. The composition of the deposited coatings was found to vary with torch power. Increasing torch power led to coatings with decreasing Ni content, as a result of Ni vaporizing in-flight at stand-off distances less than 60 mm from the torch nozzle exit.

Full Text Available The extended major histocompatibility complex (xMHC is the most gene-dense region of the genome and harbors a disproportionately large number of genes involved in immune function. The postulated role of infection in the causation of childhood B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL suggests that the xMHC may make an important contribution to the risk of this disease. We conducted association mapping across an approximately 4 megabase region of the xMHC using a validated panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in childhood BCP-ALL cases (n=567 enrolled in the Northern California Childhood Leukemia Study (NCCLS compared with population controls (n=892. Logistic regression analyses of 1,145 SNPs, adjusted for age, sex, and Hispanic ethnicity indicated potential associations between several SNPs and childhood BCP-ALL. After accounting for multiple comparisons, one of these included a statistically significant increased risk associated with rs9296068 (OR=1.40, 95% CI=1.19-1.66, corrected p=0.036, located in proximity to HLA-DOA. Sliding window haplotype analysis identified an additional locus located in the extended class I region in proximity to TRIM27 tagged by a haplotype comprising rs1237485, rs3118361, and rs2032502 (corrected global p=0.046. Our findings suggest that susceptibility to childhood BCP-ALL is influenced by genetic variation within the xMHC and indicate at least two important regions for future evaluation.

Counterflow centrifugal elutriation (CCE) in combination with plastic adherence and fluorescence-activated cell sorting were used consecutively to enrich functionally different subpopulations of pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells (HSC) from mouse bone marrow. The nonadherent CCE fractions were labeled with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and sorted according to differences in fluorescence within various windows on the basis of forward (FLS) and perpendicular (PLS) light scatter. The sorted cells were then assayed for their (1) in vivo colony-forming ability (day-7 and day-12 spleen colony-forming units [CFU-S]), (2) radioprotective ability (RPA; 30-day survival), and (3) their ability to repopulate the bone marrow or spleen over a 13-day period with day-12 CFU-S, granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM), nucleated cells, or cells associated with RPA. The highest incidence of day-12 CFU-S and cells with RPA was obtained by sorting the most WGA-positive cells with relatively high PLS (enrichment, 50- to 200-fold), lowering the effective dose (ED 50/30) to an average of 80 cells. The separative procedure enabled hemopoietic stem cells that repopulate both bone marrow and spleen with secondary RPA cells, CFU-S-12, and CFU-GM to be enriched and separated from part of the RPA cells, CFU-S-12, and cells that reconstitute the cellularity of bone marrow and spleen. These data suggest that cells generating both day-12 CFU-S and RPA cells differ from day-12 CFU-S and RPA cells themselves on the basis of PLS characteristics and affinity for WGA. Such early stem cells have also been detected in sorted fractions meeting the FLS/PLS characteristics of lymphocytes

The aim of the present study has been to obtain high yields of oligodendrocyte precursorcells (OPCs) in culture. This is a first step in facilitation of myelin repair. We show that, in addition to factors, known to promote proliferation, such as basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) the choice of the basal medium exerts a significant influence on the yield of OPCs in cultures from newborn rats. During a culture period of up to 9 days we observed larger numbers of surviving cells in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), and Roswell Park Memorial Institute Medium (RPMI) compared with Neurobasal Medium (NB). A larger number of A2B5-positive OPCs was found after 6 days in RPMI based media compared with NB. The percentage of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive cells was largest in cultures maintained in DMEM and RPMI. The percentage of caspase-3 positive cells was largest in NB, suggesting that this medium inhibits OPC proliferation and favors apoptosis. A difference between NB and DMEM as well as RPMI is the reduced Na(+)-content. The addition of equiosmolar supplements of mannitol or NaCl to NB medium rescued the BrdU-incorporation rate. This suggested that the osmolarity influences the proliferation of OPCs. Plating density as well as residual microglia influence OPC survival, BrdU incorporation, and caspase-3 expression. We found, that high density cultures secrete factors that inhibit BrdU incorporation whereas the presence of additional microglia induces an increase in caspase-3 positive cells, indicative of enhanced apoptosis. An enhanced number of microglia could thus also explain the stronger inhibition of OPC differentiation observed in high density cultures in response to treatment with the cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ. We conclude that a maximal yield of OPCs is obtained in a medium of an osmolarity higher than 280 mOsm plated at a relatively low density in the presence of as little microglia as technically

Sunitinib is an oral, multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been approved for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Although the majority of sunitinib-treated patients receive a clinical benefit, almost a third of the patients will not respond. Currently there is no available marker that can predict for response in these patients. We estimated the plasma levels of NT-pro-BNP (the N-terminal precursor of brain natriuretic peptide) in 36 patients that were treated with sunitinib for metastatic clear-cell renal carcinoma. From the 36 patients, 9 had progressive disease and 27 obtained a clinical benefit (objective response or disease stabilization). Increases in plasma NT-pro-BNP were strongly correlated to clinical outcome. Patients with disease progression increased plasma BNP at statistically significant higher levels than patients that obtained a clinical benefit, and this was evident from the first 15 days of treatment (a three-fold increase in patients with progressive disease compared to stable NT-pro-BNP levels in patients with clinical benefit, p < 0.0001). Median progression-free survival was 12.0 months in patients with less than 1.5 fold increases (n = 22) and 3.9 months in patients with more than 1.5 fold increases in plasma NT-pro-BNP (n = 13) (log-rank test, p = 0.001). This is the first time that a potential 'surrogate marker' has been reported with such a clear correlation to clinical benefit at an early time of treatment. Due to the relative small number of accessed patients, this observation needs to be further addressed on larger cohorts. More analyses, including multivariate analyses are needed before such an observation can be used in clinical practice

Earthquake prediction is a long-sought goal. Changes in groundwater chemistry before earthquakes in Iceland highlight a potential hydrogeochemical precursor, but such signals must be evaluated in the context of long-term, multiparametric data sets.

Full Text Available CGG repeat expansions in the Fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1 gene are responsible for a family of associated disorders characterized by either intellectual disability and autism (Fragile X Syndrome, FXS, or adult-onset neurodegeneration (Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome, FXTAS. However, the FMR1 locus is complex and encodes several long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs, whose expression is altered by repeat expansion mutations.The role of these lncRNAs is thus far unknown; therefore we investigated the functionality of FMR4, which we previously identified. Full-length expansions of the FMR1 triplet repeat cause silencing of both FMR1 and FMR4, thus we are interested in potential loss-of-function that may add to phenotypic manifestation of FXS. Since the two transcripts do not exhibit cis-regulation of one another, we examined the potential for FMR4 to regulate target genes at distal genomic loci using gene expression microarrays. We identified FMR4-responsive genes, including the methyl-CpG-binding domain protein 4 (MBD4. Furthermore, we found that in differentiating human neural precursorcells (hNPCs, FMR4 expression is developmentally regulated in opposition to expression of both FMR1 (which is expected to share a bidirectional promoter with FMR4 and MBD4.We therefore propose that FMR4’s function is as a gene-regulatory lncRNA and that this transcript may function in normal development. Closer examination of FMR4 increases our understanding of the role of regulatory lncRNA and the consequences of FMR1 repeat expansions.

Promotion of remyelination is an important therapeutic strategy for the treatment of the demyelinating neurological disorders. Adult oligodendrocyte precursorcells (OPCs), which normally reside quiescently in the adult central nervous system (CNS), become activated and proliferative after demyelinating lesions. However, the extent of endogenous remyelination is limited because of the failure of adult OPCs to mature into myelinating oligodendrocytes (OLs) in the demyelinated CNS. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate the differentiation of adult OPCs could lead to new therapeutic strategies to treat these disorders. In this study, we established a stable culture of adult spinal cord OPCs and developed a reliable in vitro protocol to induce their sequential differentiation. Adult OPCs expressed bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) type Ia, Ib, and II receptor subunits, which are required for BMP signal transduction. BMP2 and 4 promoted dose-dependent astrocyte differentiation of adult OPCs with concurrent suppression of OL differentiation. Treatment of OPCs with BMP2 and 4 increased ID4 expression and decreased the expression of olig1 and olig2. Overexpression of olig1 or olig2 blocked the astrocyte differentiation of adult OPCs induced by BMP2 and 4. Furthermore, overexpression of both olig1 and olig2, but not olig1 or olig2 alone, rescued OL differentiation from inhibition by BMP2 and 4. Our results demonstrated that downregulation of olig1 and olig2 is an important mechanism by which BMP2 and 4 inhibit OL differentiation of adult OPCs. These data suggest that blocking BMP signaling combined with olig1/2 overexpression could be a useful therapeutic strategy to enhance endogenous remyelination and facilitate functional recovery in CNS demyelinated disorders. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.

The accumulation of the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is thought to play a causative role in triggering synaptic dysfunction in neurons, leading to their eventual demise through apoptosis. Aβ is produced and secreted upon sequential cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by β-secretases and γ-secretases. However, while Aβ levels have been shown to be increased in the brains of AD patients, little is known about how the cleavage of APP and the subsequent generation of Aβ is influenced, or whether the cleavage process changes over time. It has been proposed that Aβ can bind APP and promote amyloidogenic processing of APP, further enhancing Aβ production. Proof of this idea has remained elusive because a clear mechanism has not been identified, and the promiscuous nature of Aβ binding complicates the task of demonstrating the idea. To work around these problems, we used an antibody-mediated approach to bind and cross-link cell-surface APP in cultured rat primary hippocampal neurons. Here we show that cross-linking of APP is sufficient to raise the levels of Aβ in viable neurons with a concomitant increase in the levels of the β-secretase BACE1. This appears to occur as a result of a sorting defect that stems from the caspase-3-mediated inactivation of a key sorting adaptor protein, namely GGA3, which prevents the lysosomal degradation of BACE1. Together, our data suggest the occurrence of a positive pathogenic feedback loop involving Aβ and APP in affected neurons possibly allowing Aβ to spread to nearby healthy neurons.

Although dic(9;20)(p13.2;q11.2) is a characteristic abnormality in childhood B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemias (BCP ALL), little is known about its clinical impact or the type and frequency of additional aberrations it may occur together with. We here review the clinical and cytogene......Although dic(9;20)(p13.2;q11.2) is a characteristic abnormality in childhood B-cellprecursor acute lymphoblastic leukemias (BCP ALL), little is known about its clinical impact or the type and frequency of additional aberrations it may occur together with. We here review the clinical...... a mediastinal mass at diagnosis. Risk group stratification was nonstandard risk in 79%. The event-free survival and overall survival at 5 years for the 24 Nordic cases was 0.62 and 0.82, respectively. Thus, although relapses are quite common, postrelapse treatment of many patients is successful....

Flavonoids have been implicated in the prevention of cardiovascular disease; however, their mechanisms of action have yet to be elucidated, possibly because most previous in vitro studies have used supraphysiological concentrations of unmetabolized flavonoids, overlooking their more bioavailable phenolic metabolites. We aimed to explore the effects of phenolic metabolites and their precursor flavonoids at physiologically achievable concentrations, in isolation and combination, on soluble vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1). Fourteen phenolic acid metabolites and 6 flavonoids were screened at 1 μM for their relative effects on sVCAM-1 secretion by human umbilical vein endothelial cells stimulated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). The active metabolites were further studied for their response at different concentrations (0.01 μM-100 μM), structure-activity relationships, and effect on vascular cellular adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 mRNA expression. In addition, the additive activity of the metabolites and flavonoids was investigated by screening 25 unique mixtures at cumulative equimolar concentrations of 1 μM. Of the 20 compounds screened at 1 μM, inhibition of sVCAM-1 secretion was elicited by 4 phenolic metabolites, of which protocatechuic acid (PCA) was the most active (-17.2%, P = 0.05). Investigations into their responses at different concentrations showed that PCA significantly reduced sVCAM-1 15.2-36.5% between 1 and 100 μM, protocatechuic acid-3-sulfate and isovanillic acid reduced sVCAM-1 levels 12.2-54.7% between 10 and 100 μM, and protocatechuic acid-4-sulfate and isovanillic acid-3-glucuronide reduced sVCAM-1 secretion 27.6% and 42.8%, respectively, only at 100 μM. PCA demonstrated the strongest protein response and was therefore explored for its effect on VCAM-1 mRNA, where 78.4% inhibition was observed only after treatment with 100 μM PCA. Mixtures of the metabolites showed no activity toward sVCAM-1, suggesting no additive

Full Text Available Here, we asked whether we could identify pharmacological agents that enhance endogenous stem cell function to promote skin repair, focusing on skin-derivedprecursors (SKPs, a dermal precursorcell population. Libraries of compounds already used in humans were screened for their ability to enhance the self-renewal of human and rodent SKPs. We identified and validated five such compounds, and showed that two of them, alprostadil and trimebutine maleate, enhanced the repair of full thickness skin wounds in middle-aged mice. Moreover, SKPs isolated from drug-treated skin displayed long-term increases in self-renewal when cultured in basal growth medium without drugs. Both alprostadil and trimebutine maleate likely mediated increases in SKP self-renewal by moderate hyperactivation of the MEK-ERK pathway. These findings identify candidates for potential clinical use in human skin repair, and provide support for the idea that pharmacological activation of endogenous tissue precursors represents a viable therapeutic strategy.

Osteogenesis and angiogenesis play the prominent role in the bone regeneration. In this study, deferoxamine (DFO), an induced agent for osteogenesis and angiogenesis, was modified onto the surface of poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) membrane via a facile and convenient approach based on the self-polymerization of dopamine (DOPA). The surface composition, morphology, hydrophilicity and surface energy of the original and modified PDLLA membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurement. The surface roughness and hydrophilicity of the PDLLA membrane were obviously increased by introducing either the single polydopamine (PDOPA) or the dual layers of PDOPA and DFO. In vitro cells culture experiments indicated that both the PDLLA/PDOPA and PDLLA/PDOPA-DFO composite membranes were more beneficial to the attachment, proliferation and spreading of MC3T3-E1 cells and HUVECs compared to the original PDLLA membrane. The PDLLA/PDOPA-DFO membrane was supportive for the proliferation of both MC3T3-E1 cells and HUVECs, and especially for HUVECs. The results suggested that the as-prepared PDLLA/PDOPA-DFO composite can be expected to be used as a promising bone regenerative material with promoted angiogenesis. - Highlights: • DFO was conveniently immobilized on PDLLA membrane based on PDOPA adhesive layer. • Hydrophilicity of PDLLA membrane was improved by modification with PDOPA and DFO. • Modified membranes were more favorable to the growth of MC3T3-E1 cells and HUVECs. • DFO was supportive for the growth of two kinds of cells, especially for HUVECs.

We are currently investigating microglial activation and neuronal precursorcell (NPC) proliferation after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo) in rats. This study aimed: (1) to investigate differences in hippocampal NPC proliferation in outbred male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and Sprague-Dawley rats (SDs) one week after tMCAo; (2) to present the practical use of the optical fractionator and 2D nucleator in stereological brain tissue analyses; and (3) to report our experiences with an intraluminal tMCAo model where the occluding filament is advanced 22 mm beyond the carotid bifurcation and the common carotid artery is clamped during tMCAo. Twenty-three SDs and twenty SHRs were randomized into four groups subjected to 90 minutes tMCAo or sham. BrdU (50 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally twice daily on Day 4 to 7 after surgery. On Day 8 all animals were euthanized. NeuN-stained tissue sections were used for brain and infarct volume estimation with the 2D nucleator and Cavalieri principle. Brains were studied for the presence of activated microglia (ED-1) and hippocampal BrdU incorporation using the optical fractionator. We found no significant difference or increase in post-ischemic NPC proliferation between the two strains. However, the response to remote ischemia may differ between SDs and SHRs. In three animals increased post-stroke NPC proliferation was associated with hippocampal ischemic injury. The mean infarct volume was 89.2 +/- 76.1 mm3 in SHRs and 16.9 +/- 22.7 mm3 in SDs (p < 0.005). Eight out of eleven SHRs had ischemic neocortical damage in contrast to only one out of 12 SDs. We observed involvement of the anterior choroidal and hypothalamic arteries in several animals from both strains and the anterior cerebral artery in two SHRs. We found no evidence of an early hippocampal NPC proliferation one week after tMCAo in both strains. Infarction within the anterior choroidal artery could induce hippocampal ischemia and

Monomers with vinyl bond can be polymerized via a cationic mechanism using acid catalysts. This study aimed to obtain homo and copolymers of styrene and indene via cationic mechanism and the functionalization of sulfonic groups to the production of membranes for fuel cells. Polymers and poly electrolytes were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC/SEC). The degree of sulfonation of the polymers was determined by titration and evaluated for these films to the degree of swelling in water, ion exchange capacity and analysis of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Membranes prepared with polyindene and PVA were tested in an apparatus of the fuel cell. (author)

Full Text Available Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs and MSC-like multipotent stem/progenitor cells have been widely investigated for regenerative medicine and deemed promising in clinical applications. In order to further improve MSC-based stem cell therapeutics, it is important to understand the cellular kinetics and functional roles of MSCs in the dynamic regenerative processes. However, due to the heterogeneous nature of typical MSC cultures, their native identity and anatomical localization in the body have remained unclear, making it difficult to decipher the existence of distinct cell subsets within the MSC entity. Recent studies have shown that several blood-vessel-derived precursorcell populations, purified by flow cytometry from multiple human organs, give rise to bona fide MSCs, suggesting that the vasculature serves as a systemic reservoir of MSC-like stem/progenitor cells. Using individually purified MSC-like precursorcell subsets, we and other researchers have been able to investigate the differential phenotypes and regenerative capacities of these contributing cellular constituents in the MSC pool. In this review, we will discuss the identification and characterization of perivascular MSC precursors, including pericytes and adventitial cells, and focus on their cellular kinetics: cell adhesion, migration, engraftment, homing, and intercellular cross-talk during tissue repair and regeneration.

We compared the cloning efficiency of buffalo embryos produced by handmade cloning (HMC) using ear skin- and milk-derived donor cells. The blastocyst rate was lower (p milk-derived blastocysts and that of NANOG was (p milk-derived > skin-derived blastocysts. The expression level of all these genes, except NANOG, was lower (p skin-derived or IVF blastocysts. In conclusion, milk-derived cells can be used for producing HMC embryos of quality similar to that of skin-derived embryos, although with a lower blastocyst rate.

Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) of N-Ac amino acids, N-Ac dipeptides, and N-Ac tripeptides in inhibition of 125 I-labeled ristocetin binding to Micrococcus luteus cell wall have been developed to probe the details of the binding between ristocetin and N-acetylated peptides. The correlation equations indicate that (1) the binding is stronger for peptides in which the side chain of the C-terminal amino acid has a large molar refractivity (MR) value, (2) the binding is weaker for peptides with polar than for those with nonpolar C-terminal side chains, (3) the N-terminal amino acid in N-Ac dipeptides contributes 12 times that of the C-terminal amino acid to binding affinity, and (4) the interactions between ristocetin and the N-terminal amino acid of N-acetyl tripeptides appear to be much weaker than those with the first two amino acids

Large precursors have also been predicted using the immunoprecipitation technique which relies upon the identification of large immunoreactive molecules following in vitro translation of mRNA. The mRNA is presumed to represent the largest form of a nascent precursor polypeptide molecule irrespective of the number of biosynthetic cleavage steps which are necessary to liberate the active peptide. However, as has been shown for somatostatin, nonprotein modifications may be made which apparently increase molecular weight, such as glycosylation or phosphorylation of the molecule. The authors employed the immunoprecipitation technique to confirm earlier chromatographic studies that the hypothalamic decapeptide, luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) is also synthesized by way of a large precursor form. The authors' finding show that the translation of hypothalamic mRNA produces a primary translation product with an apparent molecule weight of 28,000 which contains an amino acid sequence immunologically similar to that of biologically active LHRH. The procedure involved the incorporation of a radioactive amino acid into polypeptides synthesized by in vitro translation of hypothalamic messenger RNA. The resulting complex protein mixture was immunoprecipitated with a specific anti-LHRH serum, and the immunoprecipitate was identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography

Many attempts have been made to determine a sound forecasting method regarding earthquakes and warn the public in turn. Presently, the animal kingdom leads the precursor list alluding to a transmission related source. By applying the animal-based model to an electromagnetic (EM) wave model, various hypotheses were formed, but the most interesting one required the use of a magnetometer with a differing design and geometry. To date, numerous, high-end magnetometers have been in use in close proximity to fault zones for potential earthquake forecasting; however, something is still amiss. The problem still resides with what exactly is forecastable and the investigating direction of EM. After the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, American earthquake investigators predetermined magnetometer use and a minimum earthquake magnitude necessary for EM detection. This action was set in motion, due to the extensive damage incurred and public outrage concerning earthquake forecasting; however, the magnetometers employed, grounded or buried, are completely subject to static and electric fields and have yet to correlate to an identifiable precursor. Secondly, there is neither a networked array for finding any epicentral locations, nor have there been any attempts to find even one. This methodology needs dismissal, because it is overly complicated, subject to continuous change, and provides no response time. As for the minimum magnitude threshold, which was set at M5, this is simply higher than what modern technological advances have gained. Detection can now be achieved at approximately M1, which greatly improves forecasting chances. A propagating precursor has now been detected in both the field and laboratory. Field antenna testing conducted outside the NE Texas town of Timpson in February, 2013, detected three strong EM sources along with numerous weaker signals. The antenna had mobility, and observations were noted for recurrence, duration, and frequency response. Next, two

Full Text Available Abstract Background The discovery of the inherited disorders of creatine (Cr synthesis and transport in the last few years disclosed the importance of blood Cr supply for the normal functioning of the brain. These putatively rare diseases share a common pathogenetic mechanism (the depletion of brain Cr and similar phenotypes characterized by mental retardation, language disturbances, seizures and movement disorders. In the effort to improve our knowledge on the mechanisms regulating Cr pool inside the nervous tissue, Cr transport and synthesis and related gene transcripts were explored in primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule cells and astrocytes. Methods Cr uptake and synthesis were explored in vitro by incubating monotypic primary cultures of rat type I astrocytes and cerebellar granule cells with: a D3-Creatine (D3Cr and D3Cr plus β-guanidinopropionate (GPA, an inhibitor of Cr transporter, and b labelled precursors of Guanidinoacetate (GAA and Cr (Arginine, Arg; Glycine, Gly. Intracellular D3Cr and labelled GAA and Cr were assessed by ESI-MS/MS. Creatine transporter (CT1, L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT, and S-adenosylmethionine:guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase (GAMT gene expression was assessed in the same cells by real time PCR. Results D3Cr signal was extremely high in cells incubated with this isotope (labelled/unlabelled Cr ratio reached about 10 and 122, respectively in cerebellar granule cells and astrocytes and was reduced by GPA. Labelled Arg and Gly were taken up by the cells and incorporated in GAA, whose concentration paralleled that of these precursors both in the extracellular medium and inside the cells (astrocytes. In contrast, the increase of labelled Cr was relatively much more limited since labelled Cr after precursors' supplementation did not exceed 2,7% (cerebellar granule cells and 21% (astrocytes of unlabelled Cr. Finally, AGAT, GAMT and SLC6A8 were expressed in both kind of cells. Conclusions Our

Progress in fabricating Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se){sub 2} (CIGSSe) solar cells with Zn(S,O) buffer layers prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD) is discussed. The effect of different Zn salt precursors on solar cell device performance is investigated using production scale CIGSSe absorbers provided by AVANCIS GmbH and Co. KG. The CBD process has been developed at the Hahn-Meitner-Institut (HMI) using zinc nitrate, zinc sulphate or zinc chloride as zinc precursor. An average efficiency of 14.2{+-}0.8% is obtained by using one-layer CBD Zn(S,O) The dominant recombination path for well performing solar cells is discussed based on the results obtained from temperature dependent J(V) analysis. The structure and morphology of buffer layers deposited using zinc nitrate and zinc sulphate has been studied by means of transmission electron micrographs of glass/Mo/CIGSSe/Zn(S,O) structures. Results show a conformal coverage of the absorber by a Zn(S,O) layer of 15-25 nm consisting of nanocrystals with radii of {proportional_to}5 nm. XAES analysis of the buffer layer reveals a similar surface composition for buffer layers deposited with zinc nitrate and zinc sulphate. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

BACKGROUND: One of the major challenges in allogeneic stem cell transplantation is to find a balance between the harmful induction of graft-versus-host disease and the beneficial graft-versus-leukemia and pathogen-specific immune responses. Adoptive transfer of in-vitro generated donor T cells with

Covalent linkage of myristate (tetradecanoate; 14:0) to the NH2-terminal glycine residue of the human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) 55-kDa gag polyprotein precursor (Pr55gag) is necessary for its proteolytic processing and viral assembly. We have shown recently that several analogs of myristate in which a methylene group is replaced by a single oxygen or sulfur atom are substrates for Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mammalian myristoyl-CoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.97; NMT) des...

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. NK and cytotoxic T cells play an important role in the elimination of virus-infected and tumor cells through NKG2D activating receptors, which can promote the lysis of target cells by binding to the major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A (MICA) proteins. Increased serum levels of MICA have been found in patients with epithelial tumors. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of soluble MICA (sMICA) and NKG2D-expressing NK and T cells in blood samples from patients with cervical cancer or precursor lesions with those from healthy donors. Peripheral blood with or without heparin was collected to obtain mononuclear cells or sera, respectively. Serum sMICA levels were measured by ELISA and NKG2D-expressing immune cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Also, a correlation analysis was performed to associate sMICA levels with either NKG2D expression or with the stage of the lesion. Significant amounts of sMICA were detected in sera from nearly all patients. We found a decrease in the number of NKG2D-expressing NK and T cells in both cervical cancer and lesion groups when compared to healthy donors. Pearson analysis showed a negative correlation between sMICA and NKG2D-expressing T cells; however, we did not find a significant correlation when the analysis was applied to sMICA and NKG2D expression on NK cells. Our results show for the first time that high sMICA levels are found in sera from patients with both cervical cancer and precursor lesions when compared with healthy donors. We also observed a diminution in the number of NKG2D-expressing NK and T cells in the patient samples; however, a significant negative correlation between sMICA and NKG2D expression was only seen in T cells

Many attempts have been made to determine a sound forecasting method regarding earthquakes and warn the public in turn. Presently, the animal kingdom leads the precursor list alluding to a transmission related source. By applying the animal-based model to an electromagnetic (EM) wave model, various hypotheses were formed, but the most interesting one required the use of a magnetometer with a differing design and geometry. To date, numerous, high-end magnetometers have been in use in close proximity to fault zones for potential earthquake forecasting; however, something is still amiss. The problem still resides with what exactly is forecastable and the investigating direction of EM. After a number of custom rock experiments, two hypotheses were formed which could answer the EM wave model. The first hypothesis concerned a sufficient and continuous electron movement either by surface or penetrative flow, and the second regarded a novel approach to radio transmission. Electron flow along fracture surfaces was determined to be inadequate in creating strong EM fields, because rock has a very high electrical resistance making it a high quality insulator. Penetrative flow could not be corroborated as well, because it was discovered that rock was absorbing and confining electrons to a very thin skin depth. Radio wave transmission and detection worked with every single test administered. This hypothesis was reviewed for propagating, long-wave generation with sufficient amplitude, and the capability of penetrating solid rock. Additionally, fracture spaces, either air or ion-filled, can facilitate this concept from great depths and allow for surficial detection. A few propagating precursor signals have been detected in the field occurring with associated phases using custom-built loop antennae. Field testing was conducted in Southern California from 2006-2011, and outside the NE Texas town of Timpson in February, 2013. The antennae have mobility and observations were noted for

CuGaSe 2 absorber layers were prepared on molybdenum substrates by electrochemical codeposition of copper and gallium and subsequential annealing in selenium vapour. The electrodeposition was made from a deep eutectic based ionic liquid consisting of choline chloride/urea (Reline) with a plating efficiency of over 85%. The precursor film composition is controlled by the ratio of the copper to gallium fluxes under hydrodynamic conditions and by the applied deposition potential. X-ray diffraction reveals CuGa 2 alloying during the electrodeposition and CuGaSe 2 formation after annealing. Photoluminescence (PL) and photocurrent spectroscopy revealed the good opto-electronic properties of the CuGaSe 2 absorber films. The absorber layers have been converted to full devices with the best device achieving 4.0 % solar conversion efficiency.

High-efficiency perovskite solar cells are generally fabricated by using highly pure (>99.99 %) PbI 2 mixed with an organic iodide in polar aprotic solvents. However, the use of such an expensive chemical may impede progress toward large-scale industrial applications. Here, we report on the synthesis of perovskite powders by using inexpensive low-grade (99 %) PbI 2 and on the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells prepared from a powder-based single precursor. Pure APbI 3 [A=methylammonium (MA) or formamidinium (FA)] perovskite powders were synthesized by treating low-grade PbI 2 with MAI or FAI in acetonitrile at ambient temperature. The structural phase purity was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The solar cell with a MAPbI 3 film prepared from the synthesized perovskite powder demonstrated a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.14 %, which is higher than the PCE of MAPbI 3 films prepared by using both MAI and PbI 2 as precursors (PCE=13.09 % for 99 % pure PbI 2 and PCE=16.39 % for 99.9985 % pure PbI 2 ). The synthesized powder showed better absorption and photoluminescence, which were responsible for the better photovoltaic performance. For the FAPbI 3 powder, a solution with a yellow non-perovskite δ-FAPbI 3 powder synthesized at room temperature was found to lead to a black perovskite film, whereas a solution with the black perovskite α-FAPbI 3 powder synthesized at 150 °C was not transformed into a black perovskite film. The α↔δ transition between the powder and film was assumed to correlate with the difference in the iodoplumbates in the powder-dissolved solution. An average PCE of 17.21 % along with a smaller hysteresis [ΔPCE=PCE reverse -PCE forward )=1.53 %] was demonstrated from the perovskite solar cell prepared by using δ-FAPbI 3 powder; this PCE is higher than the average PCE of 17.05 % with a larger hysteresis (ΔPCE=2.71 %) for a device based on a conventional precursor solution dissolving MAI with high

We have cloned common acute lymphoblastic leukemia (CALLA)-positive cells from human fetal bone marrow containing less than 1 in 10,000 E-RFC in round-bottomed microtiter wells (one cell per well) using the autocloning unit of an EPICS-V cell sorter. Expansion of such cells (with IL-2 and heavily...... irradiated autologous thymocytes as feeder cells) resulted in growth in 6-14% of the wells (mean, 11%) with cells with mature T lymphocyte phenotype. Two-color fluorescence analysis of outgrowing cultures furthermore ascertained that these cells had differentiated through a phase of simultaneous expression...... of T4 and T8 antigens and at the same time expression of the thymocyte-associated T6 antigens. Thus, given the fact that 10-20% of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALLs) are CALLA+, we have been able to identify a human prethymic T lymphocyte population that might be the normal counterpart...

The long terminal repeat from a thymotropic mouse mammary tumor virus variant, DMBA-LV, was used to drive the expression of two reporter genes, murine c-myc and human CD4, in transgenic mice. Expression was observed specifically in thymic immature cells. Expression of c-myc in these cells induced oligoclonal CD4+ CD8+ T-cell thymomas. Expression of human CD4 was restricted to thymic progenitor CD4- CD8- and CD4+ CD8+ T cells and was shut off in mature CD4+ CD8- and CD4- CD8+ T cells, known to...

The effect of the cytostatic drug bleomycin (BLM) on the growth of canine hemopoietic stem-cells in vitro was tested in order to detect a stem-cell deficiency after in vivo-treatment with adriamycin (ADM) or whole-body-irradiation. Stem-cells damaged by irradiation or cytostatics are suppressed by bleomycin-induced strand-breaks in vitro. After stem-cell recovery the increased sensitivity towards bleomycin can no longer be detected. After whole-body-irradiation and cytostatical treatment the stem-cells who remained intact have to compensate the quantitative change of the stem-cells by increased proliferation. The proliferating cells show a particular bleomycin-sensitivity. Especially after irradiation a long persistence of the bleomycin-sensitivity can be reckoned on. (orig./MG) [de

Classical hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are a synaptic loss, cholinergic neuron death, and abnormal protein deposition, particularly of toxic amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) that is derived from amyloid-beta protein precursor (AbetaPP) by the action of beta- and gamma-secretases. The trigger(s) initiating the biochemical cascades that underpin these hallmarks have yet to be fully elucidated. The typical forebrain cholinergic cell demise associated with AD brain results in a loss of presynaptic cholinergic markers and acetylcholine (ACh). Neurine (vinyl-trimethyl-ammonium hydroxide) is a breakdown product of ACh, consequent to autolysis and is an organic poison found in cadavre brain. The time- and concentration-dependent actions of neurine were assessed in human neuroblastoma (NB, SK-N-SH) cells in culture by quantifying cell viability by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and MTS assay, and AbetaPP and Abeta levels by Western blot and ELISA. NB cells displayed evidence of toxicity to neurine at > or = 3 mg/ml, as demonstrated by elevated LDH levels in the culture media and a reduced cell viability shown by the MTS assay. Using subtoxic concentrations of neurine, elevations in AbetaPP and Abeta1-40 peptide levels were detected in conditioned media samples.

Differentiated T helper (Th) cell lineages are thought to emerge from alternative cell fate decisions. However, recent studies indicated that differentiated Th cells can adopt mixed phenotypes during secondary immunological challenges. Here we show that natural primary immune responses against parasites generate bifunctional Th1 and Th2 hybrid cells that co-express the lineage-specifying transcription factors T-bet and GATA-3 and co-produce Th1 and Th2 cytokines. The integration of Th1-promoting interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-12 signals together with Th2-favoring IL-4 signals commits naive Th cells directly and homogeneously to the hybrid Th1/2 phenotype. Specifically, IFN-γ signals are essential for T-bet+GATA-3+ cells to develop in vitro and in vivo by breaking the dominance of IL-4 over IL-12 signals. The hybrid Th1/2 phenotype is stably maintained in memory cells in vivo for months. It resists reprogramming into classic Th1 or Th2 cells by Th1- or Th2-promoting stimuli, which rather induce quantitative modulations of the combined Th1 and Th2 programs without abolishing either. The hybrid phenotype is associated with intermediate manifestations of both Th1 and Th2 cell properties. Consistently, hybrid Th1/2 cells support inflammatory type-1 and type-2 immune responses but cause less immunopathology than Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively. Thus, we propose the self-limitation of effector T cells based on the stable cell-intrinsic balance of two opposing differentiation programs as a novel concept of how the immune system can prevent excessive inflammation. PMID:23976880

Full Text Available Differentiated T helper (Th cell lineages are thought to emerge from alternative cell fate decisions. However, recent studies indicated that differentiated Th cells can adopt mixed phenotypes during secondary immunological challenges. Here we show that natural primary immune responses against parasites generate bifunctional Th1 and Th2 hybrid cells that co-express the lineage-specifying transcription factors T-bet and GATA-3 and co-produce Th1 and Th2 cytokines. The integration of Th1-promoting interferon (IFN-γ and interleukin (IL-12 signals together with Th2-favoring IL-4 signals commits naive Th cells directly and homogeneously to the hybrid Th1/2 phenotype. Specifically, IFN-γ signals are essential for T-bet(+GATA-3(+ cells to develop in vitro and in vivo by breaking the dominance of IL-4 over IL-12 signals. The hybrid Th1/2 phenotype is stably maintained in memory cells in vivo for months. It resists reprogramming into classic Th1 or Th2 cells by Th1- or Th2-promoting stimuli, which rather induce quantitative modulations of the combined Th1 and Th2 programs without abolishing either. The hybrid phenotype is associated with intermediate manifestations of both Th1 and Th2 cell properties. Consistently, hybrid Th1/2 cells support inflammatory type-1 and type-2 immune responses but cause less immunopathology than Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively. Thus, we propose the self-limitation of effector T cells based on the stable cell-intrinsic balance of two opposing differentiation programs as a novel concept of how the immune system can prevent excessive inflammation.

During development, neural precursors divide to produce new precursors and cells that differentiate as neurons and glia. In Drosophila, apicobasal polarity and orientation of the mitotic spindle play important roles in specifying the progeny of neural precursors for different fates. We examined orientation of zebrafish spinal cord precursors using time-lapse imaging and tested the function of protein kinase C, iota (PrkCi), a member of the Par complex of proteins necessary for apicobasal pola...

The mechanisms preventing detrimental T-cell responses against commensal skin bacteria remain elusive. Using monocyte-derived and skin-derived dendritic cells (DCs), we demonstrate that epidermal Langerhans cells (LCs), the DCs in the most superficial layer of the skin, have a poor capacity to

Full Text Available BackgroundT follicular helper (Tfh cells are increasingly recognized as a major reservoir of HIV infection that will likely need to be addressed in approaches to curing HIV. However, Tfh express minimal CCR5, the major coreceptor for HIV-1, and the mechanism by which they are infected is unclear. We have previously shown that macaque Tfh lack CCR5, but are infected in vivo with CCR5-using SIV at levels comparable to other memory CD4+ T cells. Similarly, human splenic Tfh cells are highly infected with HIV-1 DNA. Therefore, we set out to examine the mechanism of infection of Tfh cells.MethodologyTfh and other CD4+ T cell subsets from macaque lymph nodes and spleens, splenic Tfh from HIV+ subjects, and tonsillar Tfh from HIV-uninfected subjects were isolated by cell sorting prior to cell surface and molecular characterization. HIV proviral gp120 sequences were submitted to genotypic and phenotypic tropism assays. Entry of CCR5- and CXCR4-using viruses into Tfh from uninfected tonsillar tissue was measured using a fusion assay.ResultsPhylogenetic analysis, genotypic, and phenotypic analysis showed that splenic Tfh cells from chronic HIV+ subjects were predominantly infected with CCR5-using viruses. In macaques, purified CCR5+PD-1intermediate(int+ memory CD4+ T cells were shown to include pre-Tfh cells capable of differentiating in vitro to Tfh by upregulation of PD-1 and Bcl6, confirmed by qRT-PCR and single-cell multiplex PCR. Infected PD-1int cells survive, carry SIV provirus, and differentiate into PD-1hi Tfh after T cell receptor stimulation, suggesting a pathway for SIV infection of Tfh. In addition, a small subset of macaque and human PD-1hi Tfh can express low levels of CCR5, which makes them susceptible to infection. Fusion assays demonstrated CCR5-using HIV-1 entry into CCR5+ Tfh and pre-Tfh cells from human tonsils.ConclusionThe major route of infection of Tfh in macaques and humans appears to be via a CCR5-expressing pre-Tfh population

In influenza virus-infected MDCK cells labelled with 14 C-chlorella hydrolysate or 35 S-methionine a virus-specific protein component is revealed migrating slightly faster than HA protein in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Under chase conditions the component disappears either completely or partially, with a concomitant intensification of the HA band. The rate and extent of this transition are strain-dependent. Both the HA band and the faster moving component are not revealed if the cells are labelled in the presence of 20 mM of D-glucosamine. In primary cell cultures of chick embryos a single HA band with a mobility similar to that of the faster moving component in MDCK cells has been observed. It is suggested that the transition of the label from the faster moving component to the HA band reflects the final step of HA processing specific for MDCK cells. (author)

Results are reported of a comparative investigation of tritium-labelled thymidine, uridine and leucine incorporation in cells inoculated with HSV-1 and HSV-2. There were no essential differences in the dynamics of the biosynthesis processes in either type of herpes viruses. Viral infection led to a marked activation of DNA synthesis and progressive inhibition of overall RNA synthesis. The rate of labelled amino-acid incorporation remained almost unchanged. There was a gradual increase in 3 H-thymidine incorporation, reaching a minimum by the 12th-16th hour and a rapid decrese thereafter. After the 12th hour part of the thymidine already incorporated in DNA (the thymidine pool) starts leaving the cells as a result of increased cell membrane permeability. The rate of changes in the biosynthesis processes in HSV-inoculated cells depends on infection multiplicity. Even in high inoculation multiplicity the blockade of cell biosynthesis is incomplete which furnishes a better opportunity for HSV reproduction. (author)

Full Text Available Abstract Background In prior work we detected reduced anti-Aβ antibody titers in Aβ-vaccinated transgenic mice expressing the human amyloid precursor protein (APP compared to nontransgenic littermates. We investigated this observation further by vaccinating APP and nontransgenic mice with either the wild-type human Aβ peptide, an Aβ peptide containing the "Dutch Mutation", E22Q, or a wild-type Aβ peptide conjugated to papillomavirus virus-like particles (VLPs. Results Anti-Aβ antibody titers were lower in vaccinated APP than nontransgenic mice even when vaccinated with the highly immunogenic Aβ E22Q. One concern was that human Aβ derived from the APP transgene might mask anti-Aβ antibodies in APP mice. To test this possibility, we dissociated antigen-antibody complexes by incubation at low pH. The low pH incubation increased the anti-Aβ antibody titers 20–40 fold in APP mice but had no effect in sera from nontransgenic mice. However, even after dissociation, the anti-Aβ titers were still lower in transgenic mice vaccinated with wild-type Aβ or E22Q Aβ relative to non-transgenic mice. Importantly, the dissociated anti-Aβ titers were equivalent in nontransgenic and APP mice after VLP-based vaccination. Control experiments demonstrated that after acid-dissociation, the increased antibody titer did not cross react with bovine serum albumin nor alpha-synuclein, and addition of Aβ back to the dissociated serum blocked the increase in antibody titers. Conclusions Circulating human Aβ can interfere with ELISA assay measurements of anti-Aβ titers. The E22Q Aβ peptide vaccine is more immunogenic than the wild-type peptide. Unlike peptide vaccines, VLP-based vaccines against Aβ abrogate the effects of Aβ self-tolerance.

In terms of nuclear decay {sup 18}F is the most ideal PET nuclide but its short t{sub 1/2} precludes its use for directly labelling whole antibodies due to their long blood residence times. Pre-targeted imaging using affinity systems such as Neutravidin{sup TM}-biotin facilitates the application of short-lived nuclides by their attachment to biotin for imaging cell surface proteins targeted with Neutravidin{sup TM}-conjugated antibodies. Methods: Boroaryl functionalised biotin was prepared with a PEG linker and radiolabelled by incubation with {sup 18}F in acidified aqueous solution. Cells expressing high (SKBr3), medium (MDA-MB-453) and low (MDA-MB-468) levels of HER-2 were pre-incubated with Neutravidin{sup TM}-conjugated trastuzumab, washed, and then incubated with {sup 18}F-PEG-biotin. Results: The {sup 18}F-fluorination of boroaryl-PEG-biotin was much more efficient than reported for other versions of boroaryl-biotin. The novel {sup 18}F-PEG-biotin was demonstrated to bind to HER-2-expressing cells in-vitro pre-incubated with Neutravidin{sup TM}-conjugated trastuzumab. Conclusion: Biotin can be functionalised with boroaryl and readily {sup 18}F-radiolabelled in aqueous solution and will bind to cells pre-incubated with Neutravidin{sup TM}-antibody conjugates. - Highlights: > Boroaryl-biotin precursor is prepared. > Rapid {sup 18}F-fluorination is demonstrated. > HER-2 expressing breast cancer cells pre-treated with trastuzumab-Neutravidin{sup TM}. > {sup 18}F-PEG-biotin binding to pre-treated cells corresponds with HER-2 expression.

In terms of nuclear decay 18 F is the most ideal PET nuclide but its short t 1/2 precludes its use for directly labelling whole antibodies due to their long blood residence times. Pre-targeted imaging using affinity systems such as Neutravidin TM -biotin facilitates the application of short-lived nuclides by their attachment to biotin for imaging cell surface proteins targeted with Neutravidin TM -conjugated antibodies. Methods: Boroaryl functionalised biotin was prepared with a PEG linker and radiolabelled by incubation with 18 F in acidified aqueous solution. Cells expressing high (SKBr3), medium (MDA-MB-453) and low (MDA-MB-468) levels of HER-2 were pre-incubated with Neutravidin TM -conjugated trastuzumab, washed, and then incubated with 18 F-PEG-biotin. Results: The 18 F-fluorination of boroaryl-PEG-biotin was much more efficient than reported for other versions of boroaryl-biotin. The novel 18 F-PEG-biotin was demonstrated to bind to HER-2-expressing cells in-vitro pre-incubated with Neutravidin TM -conjugated trastuzumab. Conclusion: Biotin can be functionalised with boroaryl and readily 18 F-radiolabelled in aqueous solution and will bind to cells pre-incubated with Neutravidin TM -antibody conjugates. - Highlights: → Boroaryl-biotin precursor is prepared. → Rapid 18 F-fluorination is demonstrated. → HER-2 expressing breast cancer cells pre-treated with trastuzumab-Neutravidin TM . → 18 F-PEG-biotin binding to pre-treated cells corresponds with HER-2 expression.

Carcinoma showing thymus-like elements (CASTLE) is a rare malignant neoplasm of the thyroid gland, morphologically and immunohistologically similar to a thymic carcinoma, whose histogenesis is still debated. Hypotheses include an origin from ectopic thymic tissue, vestige of the thymopharyngeal duct, or branchial pouch remnants from which solid cell nests (SC-nests) originate. The diagnosis of CASTLE may be treacherous due to its rarity and its propensity to mimic other poorly differentiated tumors such as squamous cell carcinoma. We present a case of CASTLE in a 58-year-old man initially diagnosed as a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma both on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and on biopsy, arising in close association with SC-nests. A thorough literature review, with special emphasis on its diagnosis and histogenesis of CASTLE, was also conducted. Magnetic resonance images revealed a 4.0-cm cervical mass on the left side of the trachea, involving the lateral middle/inferior portion of the left lobe of the thyroid gland. FNAC was performed with a diagnosis of "malignant cells, consistent with squamous cell carcinoma." A histological evaluation of the resected specimen revealed a malignant proliferation of cells, focally exhibiting a squamoid appearance, which were immunopositive for CD5 and p63. A diagnosis of CASTLE was made. The tumor was located in direct continuity with SC-Nests, and the cell morphology of both the SC-nests and CASTLE was very similar with merging. Moreover, the immunohistochemical expression profiles of most markers useful in the diagnosis of CASTLE were identical in the SC-nests. The inclusion of CASTLE in the differential diagnosis of poorly differentiated tumors of the thyroid region and the use of ancillary studies are essential to diagnose this rare entity associated with a relatively favorable prognosis. The close association of CASTLE with SC-nests opens the way to a new scenario for studies of its histogenesis.

Full Text Available Luteolin, a 3’,4’,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone, is a plant flavonoid and pharmacologically active agent that has been isolated from several plant species. In the present study, the effects of luteolin obtained from the medicinal plant Elsholtzia rugulosa and the related mechanisms were examined in an Alzheimer's disease (AD cell model. In this model, copper was used to exacerbate the neurotoxicity in β-amyloid precursor protein Swedish mutation stably overexpressed SH-SY5Y cells (named “APPsw cells” for short. Based on this model, we demonstrated that luteolin increased cell viability, reduced intracellular ROS generation, enhanced the activity of SOD and reversed mitochondrial membrane potential dissipation. Inhibition of caspase-related apoptosis was consistently involved in the neuroprotection afforded by luteolin. Furthermore, it down-regulated the expression of AβPP and lowered the secretion of Aβ1-42. These results indicated that luteolin from the Elsholtzia rugulosa exerted neroprotective effects through mechanisms that decrease AβPP expression, lower Aβ secretion, regulate the redox imbalance, preserve mitochondrial function, and depress the caspase family-related apoptosis.